Trust Breeds Trust
by CeceVolume
Summary: AU. Elena moves to Mystic Falls, seeking independence and a new life.  But in the shadows, something is always lurking, waiting for the perfect time to pounce.  How does she protect herself when she doesn't know who to trust?
1. Chapter 1

_This story is based on videos from YouTube by _TheTwins90._ Their Trust Breeds Trust series is absolutely fantastic and I would suggest that everyone goes to watch them! Especially if you like this story. (:_

_Also, everyone in Mystic Falls knows about the vampires and werewolves. Think of it as the town secret that no one talks about._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Vampire Diaries. ):

Chapter One

"_Is she hot?"  
>"Yeah...yeah, but she can be weird."<br>"Hot trumps weird. Trust me."_

Damon Salvatore woke up, much as he did every morning, with a pounding in his head. Sunlight streamed in through unfamiliar curtains, nearly blinding him in his stupor. The warmth cushioned against his side cuddled closer as he shuddered with discomfort.

Almost afraid to look down at his companion, he pondered what to say if she joined him in the waking world. Of course, there was always the "I'm late for an important meeting" line, but he prided himself on being either perfectly blunt or perfectly creative. Perhaps he could use his little brother as a ploy to get him out of his predicament...

"Mmm, good morning, Damon."

_Damn. Think, think, think...what's this woman's name again? Cherry? Sherry? Shelly! It's Shelly._ "Well, good morning, Shelly," he murmured in return with a smile. He turned to look down at her and was struck by her beauty much as he had been the night before. Of course, she had been very willing to jump into bed with him the night before, so her insecurities had shown through like beacons in the darkness. Though most wouldn't have bothered to notice it, Damon had paid attention to her little pleas for compliments. The way she had held herself at certain times had been to draw attention to whatever she worried wasn't good enough.

Her drowsy grin met his eyes, reminding him that he had to get the hell out of Dodge. And soon.

"Last night was _great_," she purred, leaning into him. "I was hoping for a round two this morning." One of her hands lazily trailed down his chest, pushing the fact that he was still naked into the forefront of his mind.

Grabbing her wandering hand, he brought it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles lightly. "I'm sure that we're well past a measly round two at this point," he chided her with a wink. Slowly pulling away from her so as not to seem as if he were running away, the Salvatore Lothario tried to keep his annoyance under the surface. Even as he moved away, she clung to him, annoying him beyond belief. "But I'm afraid my little brother has something he needs to discuss with me. He sent me an SOS this morning."

She studied his face for a moment with narrowed eyes, searching for a lie she wouldn't find. If anything came with a century and a half of life, lying well was at the top of that list. However, she didn't know that little tidbit of information, so he wasn't surprised when her suspicious features faded into a pretty pout. "All right," she said with a sigh. "I suppose we can just get together again soon and continue where we left off." Her fingers trailed down his arm before lifting to hold the comforter in place as she sat up.

Scooting out of bed, he dragged on his pants, which had been thrown conveniently on the bedside table. Leaving the button undone, he reached for his shirt as he spoke, careful to keep his smile on his face. "I'll call you tomorrow to set up some plans." He had no intention of going through with his promise.

As Shelly sank back into the bed, drowsy and comfortable, Damon wondered how humans could allow themselves to be so pathetic as to have any notions of true love and romance. There was no such thing as a soul mate, nor would they magically meet in some big, thrilling way if there _were_. When you gave too much of yourself to someone, you would only get hurt. Especially if you claimed to love them.

Quickly turning to leave, the vampire did not miss the small drops of blood on the floor. He worried only for a moment that he might have drank from her without compelling her, but the feeling passed momentarily. From the smell of the blood, it had come from a bag, probably that he had brought with him. The woman now lounging in her bedroom, whispering about talking to some friend, had no idea that she had spent the night with a vampire. At least he had been smart enough to make sure of that the night before, rather than dragging another into his intricate double life.

His phone beeped twice, signaling that his battery was getting ready to die. Out of habit, he checked it blindly. _One new voicemail,_ he read silently, rolling his eyes. He didn't need to listen to the message to know that it was his little brother, demanding to know what the hell his problem was.

_Oh, little brother, if only you knew the half of it._

"_He is ridiculously hot."  
>"Shh...he's an ass."<em>

"No, Jenna, really, I'm fine. Yes, I know that you—can I please get a word in?" Elena laughed into her phone as she unpacked her clothes into her new dresser. She juggled it as best she could between her shoulder and her ear, trying to keep it in place well enough to hear her aunt. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at it.

As Jenna Sommers hurriedly went through her safety check list for her newly twenty-one year old niece, Elena Gilbert tried to keep from laughing at the older woman's antics. Every word came so quickly that it was hard to understand the garbled mess other than, "You're free to come home any time. Why you moved to some dinky town called 'Mystic Falls' is still beyond me..."

Rolling her eyes, Elena replied, "Jenna, I _want_ a small town. It'll be a lot easier for me to focus on my studies without all the hustle and bustle of a big city surrounding me. Besides, if you saw this house...you would understand why I love it so much."

The two story near-mansion had been on the upper part of her price range, but she had immediately felt a kinship with it, as if it were calling to her. It was an old house, said to have been built in the mid-nineteenth century. The owners before her had wanted to make it a museum for the history of the town, but a fire had gutted half of the house. Her new bedroom and the living room beneath it were the only parts that remained of the old inside structure, but that didn't detract from the beauty of it all.

Forcing her thoughts back to her aunt, Elena interrupted before Jenna could get on her stranger tangent. "Listen, I'm going to go out and find something to eat before it gets too late; I'll call you once I wake up in the morning, okay?"

To be honest, Elena wanted to explore her new town without thoughts of the dark and scary haunting her. If she listened to Jenna's ramblings, she might never be able to push through her natural discomfort with new people into the new life she intended to make for herself. She wanted roots somewhere, complete with friends and trusted loved ones. She couldn't be expecting every bump in the night to be an attacker, that every neighbor was harboring a dirty secret.

Wiping her hands off on her comfy jeans, she grabbed the keys to her car, taking a deep breath to steady herself. _I will go out and have fun. I will not act like this isn't my new home._

With that in mind, the brunette hastily put her hair into a high ponytail and disappeared out her front door. She hit the unlock button twice as the feeling of being watched crept up her spine. Of course, she knew that she wasn't being watched; the sun shone brightly down on her and illuminated anywhere that might house an assailant. She shook her head, laughing at her own paranoia and forcing herself to ignore the feeling of hunger eating at her stomach.

Trying to remember any bars or grills in the tiny town, only one came to mind, so she decided to try to find wherever that was. _There's only one main street; if you get lost, you're an idiot,_ she berated herself as she turned towards the center of town.

A smile lighted her face at the obvious camaraderie between the other residents of Mystic Falls. At the only stop light in the downtown, Elena was surprised to see an all American young man take grocery bags from an elderly woman's cart to put in her backseat for her. He wore no uniform brandishing a grocery store's name, nor had the woman asked for help. But the moment he gave it, the woman smiled and thanked him, giving his arm a small squeeze of appreciation as he finished putting her bags away.

_You would never see that back in Atlanta,_ she thought in amazement, slowly pulling away as the light turned green.

Turning down the next street, she found herself in the back alley behind all the businesses. Signs held the names of the stores and restaurants, brightly advertising whatever they were known for. She found what she was looking for, the Mystic Falls Grill, and parked in the only available parking space. _Either this is a drinking town or their Saturday afternoon foods are to die for,_ she decided, turning off her car.

She slid her keys into her pocket and took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. She needed to be strong, to act as if this were as natural as breathing to her. She needed to act like she belonged in this new town.

As she moved through the doorway, she wasn't surprised when every face was turned towards her. How could she be when she knew how close knit the community was? But she held her head high and smiled brightly as she passed her new neighbors, knowing that they were no doubt discussing her the moment life seemed to breathe back into confined area.

Her eyes scanned the other inhabitants. Most were around her age, maybe a little older. They quickly turned their attention away from her whenever they caught her gaze. Even when she looked at the older people scattered throughout the bar/restaurant, they seemed to think that she wasn't to be looked directly in the eyes. Was it really so strange for this town to have a newcomer?

_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to make this my first trip into town,_ she thought as she quickly looked away, blushing furiously. Pretending to be deeply entranced by the wall directly in front of her, she wondered why she had believed that acting as if she belonged would make her belong. _But I can't just turn around and walk out,_ she decided, knowing that that would only make the town's citizens all the more wary of her. If she wanted to be a part of the town, she would just have to take baby steps.

Walking up to the bartender with her shoulders back and chin up, she smiled the most beautiful smile she could muster with the feeling of her nonacceptance eating at her stomach. "Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert," she said politely as the bartender turned to help her. "I'm new in town and I don't know where anything is. Do you know where I could find a grocery store nearby?"

Grinning back at her—she had known she would have that affect on him—the bartender gave her easy to follow directions, making sure that she knew exactly where she was going. He even wrote down the street names for her on a napkin, just in case she forgot anything. "And that shouldn't take you more than a five minute drive," he finished. "Can I get you a water or anything for the road?"

She shook her head no, thanked him, and twisted to walk back out the door she'd come in. Unfortunately, she didn't pay very close attention to where she was going and walked right into a chest that felt more like a wall. She stumbled backwards, catching herself on the edge of the bar. Hands gripped her upper arms, steadying her with surprising speed.

"I'm sorry!" Elena breathed, looking up with a flush spreading across her cheeks. She immediately pulled away from the stranger's grip and put her hands where she'd collided with him to make sure he was okay. "I wasn't watching where I was..." Her words trailed off as her gaze met piercing blue eyes that were more like ice than anything else. "...going."

A charming smile tilted the strange man's lips up, almost as if he were taunting her for being polite. "Oh, don't worry about it, princess. But if you really want to make it up to me"—he took a step closer to her—"you can come out on a date with me tonight."

At his words, Elena's trance broke. She stepped to the right, ready to move around him. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she noticed the surprise that briefly flashed across his face before that smile came back, full power once more. _I wonder if he really thinks that a smile is going to win me over_, she wondered to herself. With a smile of her own, she replied, "Sorry, I'm not free in the near future. Thanks for asking, though."

The entire establishment seemed to take a collective breath, reminding her that she had an audience. Acting much as she had when she walked through the doors, Elena Gilbert didn't look back at the stranger whose eyes she could feel watching her every move.

"_Give me your glass. Neither one of us is drunk enough for this conversation."_

Damon Salvatore had been...turned down. By a woman who couldn't have possibly had time to hear about his usual exploits?

The thought pushed his true age to the forefront of his mind, though it didn't really matter. _One hundred and seventy one going on twenty five,_ his mind suddenly said, making a smile cross his face. Of course, most of the town's citizens knew what he was, but he was hardly going to be afraid of that. Immortals lived throughout the town and magic was rampant; people would have guessed if it wasn't already common knowledge. _But it's like that girl _knew_._

"So, when are you gonna run out after her?"

The smile froze in place on his face. With mythical creatures came humans that hunted them, and this particular hunter was on shaky terms with Damon's good side.

Turning slightly to look at his frenemy, the blue eyed vampire smirked mockingly. "Oh, ho, ho," he fake-laughed. "Aren't you just the funny one?" Though he'd like nothing more than to kill the man, he took a seat next to him, ordering his usual bourbon.

Alaric Saltzman twisted slightly on his barstool, a grin to match Damon's. "Poor, poor vampire Casanova. Getting turned down doesn't put you in a good mood, does it?" The vampire hunter turned his gaze back to the wall across from him. Without having to see the other man's face, he sipped his drink and said, "I will not talk women with you, Salvatore. If you need your pound of flesh, go find some." Sharp eyes glanced over once more. "Just be careful how far you take it."

Damon rolled his eyes as his glass was put down in front of him. There was one law in Mystic Falls that his kind—as well as a few others—so as not to be rounded up and killed: never kill. Vampires wouldn't drink a victim dry, werewolves locked themselves in underground shelters during the full moon, and all the others kept their talons and fangs to themselves. The witch families of the town were the main enforcers, then came the practiced hunters, and finally, the police force. It was unlikely that an immortal would get away with any murders.

_That woman...I haven't seen her before. She certainly got Will talking, _he noted, glaring at the bartender without knowing it. Usually, Will was silent, only giving a few words here and there to get a point across. Otherwise, he kept everything to himself. But this new woman, this stranger, had gotten the quiet one to give the most thorough directions anyone in town had probably ever heard him give. _What is it about her?_

"Whatever you're thinking about doing, Damon, don't."

_We're not even _friends_ and he knows what I'm thinking? How pathetic have I become..._

Downing the last of his drink, Damon said, "Me? I'm not thinking about doing anything." _Except figuring out what that girl is._

"_She chose to trust me in spite of what I am. If I'm going to put my trust in someone's instincts, it's going to be hers."_

"_Well, then that makes you the biggest idiot of them all."_

"_She chose to trust you, too."_

"_Then maybe you shouldn't be so sure about her instincts."_

Twenty four hours had passed since Elena met that stranger in town. Which meant it had been twenty three hours since she'd last been outside of the walls of her new home.

She was going insane.

_Am I really so afraid of meeting him again? What's he going to do to me?_ Elena demanded of herself. There was no reason for her to be afraid. It wasn't as if he were out to kill her or something. _I can't just lock myself in the house until I magically figure out who he is and why he looked at me like he did. I need to be strong._

Dragging the wet clothes from her washing machine, she stared longingly at the dryer. She'd been told it was an older model when she'd bought the house, but she hadn't expected it to give out so quickly. Luckily, there was a clothesline in the backyard. She didn't mind the outdoorsy smell of her clothes, but it would have been nice to have them dried faster. And for her absentee neighbors to not get to see her unmentionables.

Carrying the basket under her arm, she made her way outside, enjoying the soft breeze on her face. The sun shone brightly overhead, keeping the temperature perfect. She breathed in the fresh air, wondering how long it would take her to get over how perfect everything in the quaint little town was.

As she hung the laundry, a loud squawk made her jump nearly out of her skin. Spinning on her heel, she found the culprit: a lone crow. She used the towel in her hand to wave it away, shaking. A peculiar sense of foreboding came over her as the crow simply stared at her, looking as if it had plans for her. She shook off the thought, however, blaming it on all the stories Jenna had taken to telling her.

Turning away from the bird, deciding to let it do it's thing, a sudden gust of air hit her, making her shiver. At that moment, the entire feeling of the day changed into something she couldn't place. A chill rolled up her spine even before the crow gave another squawk, and she spun on her heel just in time to see the bird diving for her. With a squeal of panic, she held up the towel to use as protection, breathing a sigh of relief when the bird merely took it from her hands.

Then she remembered that was _her_ towel and ran off, chasing the bird directly into her new neighbor's open back door.

Without thinking, the young woman crossed into the other yard, ignoring the little voice in her head warning her that something wasn't right. Instead, she slowly pushed through the door that the crow had flown in through and glanced around quickly, hoping to at least find her towel.

_Am I really breaking and entering into my new neighbor's house just to get back a _towel_?_ Elena suddenly asked herself, wanting nothing more than to slap herself. Who would be okay with someone invading their home just to get a towel back from a bird? Who would _believe_ that story to begin with?

Turning to leave, Elena found herself face to face with a chest that was definitely familiar. Before, it had been covered by a leather jacket, but the black T-shirt had the same effect. She slowly looked up, meeting that almost mocking smirk with wide eyes. _Take a step back, Elena, and apologize,_ her mind commanded. The order never made it through, however.

"So we meet again," the stranger from the grill drawled, smiling down at her charmingly. "Only this is a much better setting, wouldn't you say? I'm Damon Salvatore." He stuck out his hand to take hers and bring it to his lips.

Unsure of what to do, Elena let him and stammered, "I'm sorry. The...the door was open and the crow..."

"What crow?" Damon asked, glancing around. "I can tell you with complete honesty that I don't have any pets."

Something in his face when he looked back down at her with a predatory smile made her stop. He wasn't lying, so far as she could tell, but he was keeping _something_ behind those eyes. Of that, she was absolutely sure.

She wasn't about to call him out on it, though.

Taking a step back, Elena edged towards the door, saying, "I'm sorry that I...burst in on you. I guess the bird must have just flown off...trick of the eyes." _But I _know_ the bird flew in here! I'm absolutely sure of it!_ Not knowing that she was doing it, she searched his eyes once again for whatever that secret was.

Damon watched her just as closely, though he hid it much better. For a moment, he wondered if maybe he should compel her to tell him whatever was on her mind, but he nudged that plan quickly into the reject pile. If she had eaten anywhere in town, she'd been fed vervain, which would mean that she would be immune to even his best attempts.

He watched her, feeling a twinge of discomfort at the intense way she read his eyes. As a vampire, he shouldn't have been so focused on this woman that didn't seem to care at all about his advances. There were _many_ women that he could go to, whether for blood or sex. And they wouldn't be glaring at him as if they knew exactly what he wanted to do to them. If they did know what he was thinking about doing to them, they would welcome it with open arms.

_That's why you're so drawn to her,_ Damon decided. _You aren't used to women acting as if you were the scum on their shoe._

Flipping the charm switch in his mind to overdrive, the vampire took a step closer to the human, acknowledging somewhere in his mind that he had no intention of tapping her vein. He wanted _her_...

She immediately took several steps backwards, keeping a healthy distance between them. "Well, Mr. Salvatore, I had better be going. I'm sorry again for intruding."

Before he could stop her, she disappeared out of the house, practically leaving a trail of dust.

_I think I want to get to know her a bit better,_ Damon thought with a smirk as a raven cawed outside the window.


	2. Chapter 2

_I know, I know! I haven't updated in forever! In fact, it's been exactly three months. :P But I've been having a really hard time finding the inspiration. Now, however, I'm so excited about the season 3 premiere that I can't contain myself._

_Also, a huge part of the inspiration is the quote "Elena makes Damon human." I think you'll understand after reading. (:_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Two

"_I will always choose you."_

In the two weeks that Miss Elena Gilbert had moved to Mystic Falls, creatures from every species had taken notice of her. There were rumors going around town that she was a siren, a Valkyrie, or a fallen angel. Who were the mythical creatures of the town that they could discount any possibility?

Damon, however, did not...appreciate their attention on the woman he had chosen to conquer. For once in his vampire existence, he did not lust for blood _and then_ sex. With her, he just wanted the woman, wanted to delve into her mind and find out all those secrets he could see hidden behind her eyes. And he had no intention of fulfilling that need of his through compulsion. No, he actually wanted her to _offer_ the information to him.

As he stepped into the light of the morning—something he didn't usually do, despite his magic ring—he heard her moving around her house, no doubt getting ready for the day. He had already become accustomed to her regular schedule. Get up from bed, brush teeth, take shower, get dressed, go downstairs and have breakfast.

Hearing a sniffing sound to his left, he turned his head to see Tyler Lockwood walking past the house, just as he had every morning for a week. It seemed that Damon wasn't the only one to...well, the right word might be _stalk_ the new female in town. Lifting one side of his lips in a warning snarl, the vampire kept his eyes locked on the Lockwood wolf, making it abundantly clear that he was considering the human his personal property. No one was going to trespass.

The werewolf growled in return, moving just a little bit faster. He was no match for the much older vampire, not until the full moon.

He watched the house carefully from the front step, hoping that, to her, it looked as if he were merely enjoying the fresh air. Even though he tried not to care how she felt about his _stalking—_again, he could find no word more appropriate—he felt a need to...impress her. As if he were a human teenager again, trying to get the attention of a well-to-do young lady!

No longer did he stumble over his words, his thoughts, as he tried to express them. With their emotions turned off, vampires held only an air of confidence, unable to feel embarrassment unless they chose to. There had never been a woman since he was changed into a vampire that had ever given him that clenching pain in his stomach, that flush of blood to his face as he blushed at something he wished he hadn't said.

No, only this human woman was able to make him feel this way. Perhaps she was an angel, sent to torment a monster.

He sat there on his front step for what felt like hours, just staring up at the sky while watching her house from the corner of his eye, thinking of the sudden change in him. Every day it got harder to turn off his emotions, every day she invaded a little more of his mind.

Elena Gilbert was driving him to madness. And she didn't even realize she was doing it.

Just as he was about to go inside, sure that she would be spending most of the day in the house, she came out of her front door, glancing towards his front stoop as if she expected him to be there. She wore a fitted, long-sleeve shirt, meant to protect her from the strange chill in the early September air, though the dark blue material certainly didn't look thick enough for that. Jeans faded from heavy use rather than having been bought that way clung to her hips and thighs and made her legs look as if they went on forever. She left her long, straight hair down today, he noted, just the way he preferred it.

"Mr. Salvatore," she started as she made her way towards him, every step slightly slower than the last, as if she wasn't sure whether she should go any closer to him.

"Damon," he corrected, an instantaneous, lop-sided grin on his face. He stood, wiping dirt from his jeans, perfectly comfortable with just his black V-neck T-shirt on. "We're neighbors, you know," he chided, barely able to contain the entertainment he got from speaking with her in such a way. Though every time she spoke to him—never more than a long enough to be polite conversation—she would talk to him in the most proper way. And he would correct her. Every time.

Elena stopped in her tracks, eying him for a moment as if to find whatever he might be hiding. "Okay, fine. _Damon_. Have you been watching my house?"

He idly thought about lying, saying that he didn't pay much attention to her house now that someone had finally moved in. Instead, he decided to just...play with some words, allow her to draw her own conclusions. Shrugging, he answered, "I like to spend my mornings on my front step. The fresh air is good for a person's health." _Though I don't necessarily have to worry about health problems._

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if exasperated. "I know you sit out here every morning." _She noticed me all these mornings?_ "What _I_ am talking about is all hand smudges on the windows of the first floor of my house."

He froze in the midst of his ponderings of _why_ she would notice whether he was in front of his house or not. "What do you mean? There are _hand prints_ all over your windows?" Every instinct screamed that something was wrong. The fact that some creature had gotten so close to her house without him noticing—especially considering his now well-known obsession with her—had the hairs on the back of his neck rising, an eerie feeling passing through him. How had he missed someone creeping around her house?

She, too, stopped all movement before murmuring, "You mean it wasn't _you_?"

He could hear her heart speed up, noticed the almost imperceptible change in breathing. She was terrified. And that pissed him off. Moving around her, he made his way towards her house, turning and holding up a hand to stop her from following.

The second he reached the side of her house, goosebumps covered his arms, the hair there standing on end. A snarl rose on his lips, just low enough that Elena wouldn't hear it. "Who the hell is here?" he demanded, nearly inaudible. But whatever supernatural being was hiding in the shadows would be able to hear him. They always were.

Damon kept his eyes on the hand prints on the window in front of him, pretending to be investigating them.

A laugh sounded behind him, just beyond the first row of trees of the woods. He knew immediately that it was a masculine chuckle, that whoever was in the shadows wasn't from their town.

"Stay away from the woman," he warned darkly, keeping his eyes glued to the window, though his reflection invariably caught on the spot that the laughter had come from. "She's _mine_."

More chuckles from the shadows before a murmured, _"Don't be so sure,"_ crossed the backyard to meet his ears. Then the presence was gone, leaving behind only the feeling of being watched. And the words the intruder had spoken made him furious.

Turning back to Elena, he strode to her, gently taking hold of her upper arm and bringing her towards his house. "Come in and sit down. I'll call the police." _Then, once they get here, I'm going out hunting. Nothing threatens her and gets away with it._

He didn't care that they had just met two weeks before. Nor did it matter to him that she wanted nothing to do with him. All he knew was that she was his and he took care of what was his.

"_I don't need a babysitter."  
>"Yes, you do."<em>

After Damon had brought her a cup of tea, he called the police in the other room, keeping his voice down so she couldn't hear him. Once she'd had the herbal tea, her fear had dissipated and she was sleepy all over again. Even when the officer—who was _not_ in a normal police uniform—showed up, she could barely contain her yawns while she answered his questions. She did notice, however, that he threw a suspecting glare at Damon, who leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed throughout the questioning.

Finally, the officer sighed and stood. "Miss Gilbert, I suggest you call someone to stay with you or stay with someone you're close to. If someone's creeping around outside your house, we don't want you to be alone. There will be officers watching your house, but that isn't foolproof. We can also put you in contact with the best security installers that we know of. I'll leave that with my personal number on a card for you."

Damon moved away from the wall then. "I can just give her the numbers, Alaric. Unless she has someone close by to call, I figured she could just stay here for the night." He stood there like some dark, avenging angel, watching over her.

Alaric threw Damon a look, then heaved another sigh. Making his way to the door, he threw over his shoulder, "It would probably be best if you just stayed with her in _her _house. This place would be"—he gave Damon another glance—"_too easy_ for someone to break into, don't you think?" With that, he left through the front door, waving over his shoulder at Elena's prone form on the overstuffed chair. He mouthed, "Don't forget my number," then he was gone.

Elena looked up at Damon, smiling drowsily and setting her tea cup on the coffee table. Curling deeper into the chair, she yawned and asked, "What did he mean that your house is easier to break into?"

The way that he blinked at her brought to her attention that he hadn't thought she'd been paying attention that much to what had been said. After a brief pause, he replied coolly, "My house is a lot older than yours. It would be easier for them to break something to get in."

_Liar,_ a voice spoke in her ear, nearly making her jump out of her skin. Like many women, she believed in her feminine intuition, but never had it actually _spoken_ to her. _Hiding something. Keeping something from you._

She looked him up and down, trying to figure out what he was keeping from her. She didn't like secrets, especially now that she was hoping she could put her trust in him. If someone was watching her house, who better to rely on than her neighbor? But all those secrets of his, everything he wasn't saying...they drove her crazy. She wasn't going to be able to completely trust him unless he gave up _something_.

Abruptly wide awake, she moved her feet to the floor, clasping her hands together as her forearms rested on her knees. Leaning as close to him as the chair allowed, she said calmly, "Damon, I know you're hiding something from me." She noted that he stiffened at her words. "I don't know what it is, but until you start giving me some real answers—_truthful_ answers—I don't want you anywhere near me, tonight being the exception. If you feel like opening up, I could see us having a great friendship, since you seem to be the type of person that would be open and frank about most things. If you don't, then after tonight, I'll call my brother, arrange for him to come live with me, and possibly never really speak to you again."

She hadn't been sure until after she said it that it would be a threat. Something flared in his eyes, something possessive and...not human. Like a rabid animal stalking towards her, just waiting for the chance to take a bite.

Maybe she wouldn't be able to have a friendship with him either.

Instead of blowing up at her as Elena had expected, that smirk of his came to his mouth. "Elena, I will tell you all you need to know...in due time. For now, let's just focus on keeping you safe from all the things that go bump in the night."

_Funny, from what I hear, he's one of those things. Everyone in town likes to speculate about him._

Knowing that she wasn't going to get much more out of him, she rose and held out her hand. "All right, then. I want those answers in the near future, but until then...thank you, Damon Salvatore, for helping me out with this...situation." He shook her hand, but she released his quickly, feeling a tingle go down her spine. Something wasn't...right about him. "Now," she added to cover up her nervousness, "I have to go get some more groceries and probably a couple of movies for tonight. Oh! And I need to get some books from the library. I will see you closer to dinnertime. Don't eat; I'm making food."

As she moved past him, he caught her arm. When she looked from his hand to his face, he ordered, "Give me five minutes. I'm going with you." Then he disappeared into the house, leaving her waiting in the foyer as a harsh chill blew in through a window she hadn't even thought was open.

"_So what's it gonna be? A fight to the death?"  
>"I'm not going to fight you."<br>"Why? I'd fight me..."_

Damon kept a close eye on her all day long, knowing that the town was talking...and Elena herself was more than a little annoyed. Not that he at all really cared about either counts, but it was unnerving for him to be in the presence of a woman that didn't even want to be around him. In fact, she had seemed less than pleased when he'd assured her that he could—and would—drive her around to all her errands, not to mention walking around just beside her in every one of the establishments they'd visited.

But he wasn't about to risk this girl when there was some rogue vampire running around town. One that had a magical something that kept him from burning in the sunlight. No, this wasn't good mojo and he wasn't about to risk her over it.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on his brother coming back to town.

The brothers were well-known—throughout Mystic Falls history—because they had made each other vampires. After both had been forced to accept vampire blood into their systems, they'd killed each other, then Stefan had forced Damon to feed. Ergo, they turned each other into vampires. Not many siblings were turned at the same time, or because of a deep hatred between the two. But the Salvatores were anything but ordinary.

The town also knew well of their battles. While Damon drank from human sources, Stefan preferred animal blood, making him weaker. Animal-drinkers were the equivalent of vegetarians in their culture; they had to have more and eat specific things to be as strong as their "carnivorous" counterparts. Unfortunately, the younger Salvatore didn't follow either of those rules and, though Damon only grew in power, Stefan was left to move forward at a snail's pace.

But their brawls had been known to bring dangerous storms and house-shaking forces into the tiny town.

Damon, however, hadn't gotten any warning that Stefan was returning. No, for once, the other man had taken his time either covering his tracks or not making any disturbances. Not even the witches had realized that he was returning to their tiny corner of the world.

That was another thing that the supernatural branch of the citizens were to be afraid of. The witches knew everything that came in and out of the town, whether you were just passing through or planning to stay. They kept magical wards around the town in case others tried to attack. As you passed through the barrier, no matter what you thought to yourself at that moment, they knew exactly why you were coming in or out of the town.

_Mental note: Go to witches' council to find out about rogue vampire and what he is doing here._

As they stepped into the last place on their list—the damned library, for Christ's sake—Damon was hit by his brother's aura. He knew it immediately. He had been raised with his brother, had spent the first hundred or so years of his vampire-dom trying to make the other man's life hell. There was no way in _hell_ that he wouldn't recognize that aura.

"Go find your books. Someone I know is here," he said to Elena, already moving away from her to go to his brother. He'd rather she not see their initial confrontation, since that one was always the worst.

Fortunately, she followed his instructions.

"Brother," he announced, stepping into the small sitting area in the north side of the library. Stefan sat there, flipping through numerous books that were longer and thicker than his head, with print so tiny Damon knew it had to hurt even a vampire's eyes.

Stefan barely glanced up at him. There were dark circles under his eyes, either from _weeks_ without sleep or from his drinking habits. Either way, brotherly worry arose within Damon, quickly leashed by his innate ability to hate his only sibling.

Sitting in the armchair directly across from Stefan, Damon relaxed, relaxing his ankle on his opposite knee. "What, may I ask, are you studying that is so much more important than greeting your brother, whom you haven't seen in damn near a decade?" He was sure that that wasn't annoyance in his tone. No, that anger was because his brother hadn't acknowledged someone that would be able to kill him in the mere blink of an eye.

Stefan didn't look up from his readings as he spoke. "There's something that's been following me around the country, maybe even farther than that. I can't put a name to it." Sighing, he slammed the book he'd been speed reading closed, moving on to the next. After a few moments of silence, he added, "I thought it was a vampire, but it doesn't need any blood at all. Then I thought maybe it was a mix of some other species, like werewolf and witch or something, but there's no evidence to point to that."

Damon blinked in surprise. "You mean, there's something stalking you around the world? And it seems like it might be vampire, but you're positive it's not?"

"It doesn't drink blood, Damon!" Stefan shouted, jumping out of his chair and letting the book fall to the floor. He changed his tone once he started speaking again. "I've been studying whatever this is since it started following me nearly a year ago." He sat back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face in exasperation. "This thing might have even followed me back here. It's the first time I've gotten a real meal and some sleep since this whole thing started."

The older Salvatore leaned forward, glancing around to make sure Elena hadn't wandered towards them. Once he'd decided the coast was clear, he murmured, "When did you get back in town? Is there any way to be sure that this...thing didn't follow you?"

Stefan tossed his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I got back into town last night. The only way we'd know if it followed me would be to go to the witches' council. They might even know what it is because all my studying doesn't mean much."

"Uh, hello? Damon, I'm ready to go."

Both Salvatores jumped at the soft feminine voice coming from where Damon himself had walked into the isolated area. Out of beaten-in habit, they both stood, nearly bowing at her entrance.

It was hard not to, Damon noted. She had the air of an aristocrat, but somehow kept herself from seeming like a damsel in distress. _But I'm still going to treat her like one until this...thing is taken care of._

He moved towards her, ready to simply lead her out of the library, but Stefan followed after him, smiling at Elena. Damon was immediately on edge, ready to snarl at his younger brother for getting so close to _his_ woman. But he couldn't do much about it, since Elena was still in the dark about what he was until the city council was finished investigating her and testing her.

"I'm sorry for my brother," Stefan murmured, not seductively but as if he were awestruck. Damon could understand the feeling. "I'm Stefan Salvatore." He held out his hand, softly taking hers and shaking it slowly. The other man noticed quite plainly that he seemed reluctant to let go.

"Elena Gilbert," she replied, with a stunning smile on her face.

He hadn't gotten a smile when they'd first met.

"Well," he said, gently putting his hand on the small of Elena's back, "we'd better get going. I will call you later tonight, little brother." With that, Damon led Elena back through the doors, getting them to the car quickly. If that thing was following Stefan, it might have come here, too. He wasn't about to put Elena in that danger.

Not even to protect his brother.

_All right, it took way too long for me to update this. Again, I'm soo sorry. Please forgive me!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Rewatching the Klaus episodes has really made me want to write more! Especially the sacrifice episode. Honestly, I don't know how some people aren't addicted to this show._

_Oh, and I was asked where these quotes come from. They're from the show, mostly season 2 and just kind of give a little background to the feeling of the part I'm writing. More for my benefit than yours._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Three

"_You touch her and I swear I will never speak to you again."  
>"What makes you think that has any power over me? Cause I took an arrow in the back for you? You are seriously overestimating yourself."<em>

Once they got back, to Elena's house, she was suddenly unsure that she could handle Damon staying at her house. In fact, she was sure that she _couldn't_. All day, he'd been acting too protective of her, possessive even. She wasn't comfortable with this stranger—unless she had that stupid tea of his in her system—and yet she wanted him to stay in her house? For all they knew, _he _was the one skulking around her house after dark, just waiting for a chance to break in.

She could vaguely remember the man—she was positive it was a man—that had stood at the window to her kitchen, staring in at her when the house was dark. She recalled a dark gaze that followed her every move and flashed whenever she went to stand up. If she had just ignored it, dove for the phone to call the police, they wouldn't have had this problem. Damon would have been taken away and she could have the house of her dreams to herself.

_Why am I so sure it's Damon when he looked so sincere this morning?_

Everything within her screamed that something wasn't right about Damon, that there was something hiding just beneath the surface. If he wasn't what he appeared to be, how could she know what he was planning?

Of course, she couldn't be completely sure unless she could read minds, but he was definitely keeping something from her, which made him look more like the suspect. Had Alaric thought about that? Had the officer even noticed that something was hiding behind Damon's eyes? He had to of; they were taught to be observant. Would he really leave her alone with such a strange man?

"We need to make a trip to my house to get some of my things," the man on her mind suddenly said, his voice harsh and angry. If he was suddenly mad at her for having to spend the night at her house—_his_ idea—then she didn't want him around the house, anyways. Couldn't he just go home _by himself_ and stay there?

She raised an eyebrow to cover her worry over his intentions. "Don't you mean that _you_ have to go to your house? I'm finally home and I would rather just lie down on my couch, curled up and watching a romantic comedy."

Elena was sure that, if his look was anything to go by, he wanted nothing more than to snarl at her like an animal. But he seemed to be restraining himself, instead growling, "There's something lurking around your house and you want me to _leave you alone_?" His demeanor changed abruptly, becoming more taunting. "Okay. Fine. Instead, I'll just sit here with you. Then I'll sleep in the nude after my shower and walk home tomorrow morning wrapped in one of your towels. The ladies of the street would love to see me in my birthday suit."

Did he just wink at her as she blushed?

No, no. She had to be seeing things. He couldn't really be coming on to her at a time like this. Surely _he_ even had more dignity than that. Especially since he acted as if her life were in danger. He couldn't possibly mean it when he said that he would be walking around her house naked.

Taking a look at his face, she knew that he was very serious.

Though her heart started beating faster, she somehow kept her composure, moving slowly towards him. "Fine. But I'm going to tell you right now," she added, pointing a surprisingly steady in his face, "you're going to stay _in the guest room_, not mine."

Proud of herself, she sashayed to the door, opening it before turning to glance at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you coming or not?" she asked, letting a certain amount of her annoyance rise into her tone.

Matching her expression with one of his own, he walked towards her. Her heartbeat sped up again at the almost predatory look on his face, as if she were the prey he was very ready to take a piece out of. When he started standing close—too close, once again—she could have sworn that he knew the affect he had on her, despite her knowledge that she was giving no outward signs of her fear.

"Elena," he said slowly, gauging her reaction with an expert gaze, "I'm _definitely _going to be spending the night in your room. Until I know that there's no chance of someone breaking into _your_ room, that's where you'll be finding me. Because, sometimes, even that small of a distance means life and death." He leaned down to her height, looking her right in the eye and lowering his voice to a murmur. "Now, before it gets too dark outside, let's go get my things, come back, and get ready for bed."

With that, he took the weight of the door from her and motioned for her to walk outside.

"_Promise me, whatever happens, you'll protect her."  
>"Promise."<em>

That night, Damon prowled Elena's house. She'd quickly grown tired as they watched the movies she'd picked out, though she tried to dust it off. When she fell asleep on the couch, he gently scooped her up and brought her up to her bed. He took care not to wake her up as he tucked her under the blanket and made sure she was comfortable. But he couldn't stop his curiosity from getting the better of him, so he decided to do some investigating.

He found a number of hastily written notes on the whiteboard calendar on her kitchen counter, most of them phone numbers for businesses around the town. It didn't go beneath his notice that she had circled the date of the town's history festival in bright red, no doubt something that had piqued her interest.

It was three weeks away, but Damon knew that she wouldn't be allowed into the archives—another note on written there—until the council was sure that she was going to stay in town.

_I could probably speed up that process for her._

He shook his head, wondering where something so...helpful had come from. He hadn't had a thought like that about a woman since he'd been a gentleman in 1864. Why would that change now?

Though he'd found many more interesting things throughout the house, he was getting tired, as well. It had been a very long day for him, watching every dark corner for something that might lurk there. He was quite serious about protecting her, about saving her from this creature that was stalking her house. Though it could just be a morbidly curious member of their town, he knew that he would need to go to the witches at some point to find out who it was and what they wanted.

When he made his way back to the bedroom, he wondered if he'd be able to leave her alone for long enough to actually see them. Lying there in her bed, she just looked so...fragile. If something were to happen to her in the time that he left her, he didn't know if he'd be able to forgive himself. It was a strange feeling to him, but he wasn't sure that it was an unwelcome one.

So that meant that he would have to find someone that he trusted implicitly to watch over her while he was gone. The only real problem with that was Damon didn't _trust_ anyone. Especially not the people in this town.

Glancing down at his phone, an almost painful thought came to mind. Yes, he was the one that had brought the whatever it was into town, but he was also the one that wanted it to be gone possibly as much as Damon. And, even though he chose the vegetarian lifestyle, he was the oldest vampire other than Damon in town. That came with a certain amount of privilege and power in itself.

With a frustrated growl, the blue-eyed man flipped through his phone's contacts, coming up to a number that he hated dialing almost as much as he hated the faceless vampire that had turned him and his brother into the monsters they were. As he put the phone to his ear, he walked back out of the room and down the hall.

Stefan answered on the first ring. _"What do you want, Damon?"_

Sneering, the older Salvatore replied, "Good to talk to you, too, brother. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" He paused, knowing that Stefan was on the other side of the phone, rubbing the bridge of his nose and sighing. Before the younger brother could ask what Damon really wanted, though, he beat him to the punch. "I need to ask you a favor. It has to do with that thing you may or may not have brought into town."

_"I'm listening."_

_Of course you are,_ Damon thought, rolling his eyes. It was as if his brother didn't realize that they'd spent their entire human lives getting to know each other. Damon knew Stefan's mannerisms and thoughts better than the other vampire could ever guess. "That thing is stalking Elena. It's gotten closer to her house than it should have. I need to go talk to the witches' council, but I don't want her to be left alone while I'm out. Will you come and watch over he when I leave?"

The moment of silence from the other line told Damon that Stefan was trying to figure out if it was a trick of some kind, if Damon were really planning an ambush attack. But he had to know that his older brother wouldn't do something so obvious to lead him into a trap.

_"What time do you need me to be around?"_

Damon frowned, glancing at the phone briefly. Did Stefan have a hint of...excitement in his voice? Oh, that just wouldn't do. "I'm telling you right now, brother, that the girl is _mine_. I don't care if you are doing this just to be close to her, but you better believe that I will tear you apart if you lay one hand on her. Understood?"

A light chuckle echoed into the phone. _"All right, Damon. Since how she feels is completely up to you."_

"Damn straight."

With that, Damon hung up his phone, fuming. If Stefan did anything to even hint at having something with Elena...he would kill him. Plain and simple.

"_There is no such thing as a bad idea. Only poorly-executed awesome ones."_

The next morning, Elena woke up to the smell of frying bacon and coffee brewing in the kitchen, drawing her out of bed. She followed the path of delicious aroma, moving into the dining room just in time to find Damon—freshly showered and dressed to perfection, despite the towel thrown hastily over one shoulder—setting the table, a charming grin on his face. She was dazzled by it for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. She was still waking up. That had to be the reason she actually thought him...handsome.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said amicably, the smile still plastered to his face as he moved towards her, pulling the towel off his shoulder to wipe off his hands. "I decided that since you were going through so much yesterday at this time, I'd make you something delicious to help you forget your troubles." When he stood just in front of her, close enough for her to smell his aftershave, he motioned to the food on the table. "I've got some cinnamon French toast, honey-smoked bacon, sausage links, and a fresh fruit salad. _Bon appetit!_"

Elena couldn't help the snarl that rose from her stomach. Since she could barely cook anything that didn't come straight out of a box, this meal looked amazing. She wondered idly, _A man that can cook something as delectable as this? What did I do to deserve this?_

She kept herself from shaking her head again as she sat down at the table, trying to decide what to devour first. Yesterday, after all the drama of her intruder, she hadn't had much of an appetite, and it was starting to show. Though she tried to pretend to eat daintily, as was expected of a proper lady.

But she was starving. And the food was mouthwatering.

She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Damon was, once again, watching her with that strange smile on his face. Were his teeth always so white? They were particularly shining that morning, taunting her almost. Why couldn't she have teeth like that?

Something told her to tread lightly with him. She had to remember to take nothing at face value with him. This divine breakfast could just be a ploy to soften her up, get her to trust him. But she couldn't trust him because of all those nifty little secrets he was hiding from her. Was it fair to ask her of something so fragile as trust when he couldn't trust her in the end?

The chorus of "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry suddenly blared from his pocket, making both of them jump in surprise. Quickly putting on that mask he seemed to wield like a weapon, Damon mouthed, "I gotta take this," then stood from his chair, ducking back into the kitchen.

_Privacy?_ Elena asked herself, knowing what she was about to do was wrong as she rose silently from her chair. _In my house, Damon Salvatore, you get none._

She crept towards the archway that divided the two rooms, shocked when she saw how far away from her he had gotten in such a short time. Luckily, if she timed her breathing right, she could still hear him, however.

"What do you mean you can only meet me tonight?" he demanded softly, a snarl rising on his face. She could only see his profile, but she could have sworn his eyes changed colors, briefly. "This thing is coming at night. A human life is at stake! Oh, ha ha, witch. Take this seriously for a moment, would you?" He paused for a moment, listening to the other end intently. "I don't have a belief that your slayers are _foolproof_. Even Stefan says he's never seen anything like it, and he's been studying for his entire life.

"Can't you just get me in before nightfall—preferably around noon? I can't trust my brother to be strong enough to watch over her at night when there's something _nocturnal_ following her." He used the word sarcastically, narrowing his eyes as the person on the other line continued to speak. "Fine. But I want it quick and to the point—I won't leave her alone for any longer than an hour."

Realizing that this was the end of the conversation, Elena hastily made her way back to her seat, pretending to rise as he reentered the room. She glanced up at him, trying for an innocently ignorant expression. "Who was that?" she asked pleasantly. Not that she cared that it sounded like he was talking to another woman. But she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to who he might be spending an hour of his time with, hopefully before dark.

He smiled, but it didn't reach those strangely blue eyes. "Just a friend in crisis. Which reminds me," he added quickly as she started to open her mouth, "I have a meeting tonight at eight o'clock. But I was supposed to have dinner with my brother tonight, since he just got back into town. Would you mind entertaining him until I get back? I won't be gone longer than an hour."

Either he was trying to set her up with his brother or something fishy was going on. And Elena could practically smell it on him. "Oh? Are you trying to get me a babysitter?" Brown eyes narrowed on him harshly. "I don't need one. The police are watching the house, so I should be fine for _an hour_ by myself. But," she said, cutting him off before he could argue, "because Stefan was such a gentleman last night, I guess I could make him dinner here, if he decides not to simply postpone brother-bonding time."

Leaving Damon watching her suspiciously, she walked out of the room confidently, throwing over her shoulder, "I'm going to take a shower now. How about making yourself scarce?" Then she disappeared up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Her heart was beating wildly against her chest in triumph. If he had thought that she would melt like butter from breakfast, he could think again.

"_The oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?"  
>"We're looking at a solid...maybe."<em>

Damon had refused to leave until Stefan showed up, though Elena had warned him he would probably be late for his meeting. He'd muttered something under his breath about old geezers and simply lounged in her favorite chair, reading a book shockingly fast. He hadn't seemed like the type to read a lot. But, finally, Stefan came to the door, smiling and bowing like a real gentleman, waiting for her to invite him in before entering.

The older Salvatore nearly flew out of the door at that point, mumbling something to Stefan that left him chuckling. Though she was dying to know what was said between the brothers—she'd definitely noticed the air of hostility surrounding them—she let it be.

"Stefan, I'm so sorry about this, but I don't have anything to make for dinner," she apologized, genuinely embarrassed that she'd spent the day planning the night and had forgotten to get anything to eat. "If you're okay with it, we could just go to the grocery store really quick and grab something quick and easy." Mac N Cheese she could do.

He grinned brilliantly at her. "Oh, don't worry about it, Elena. I already ate, anyways. I never trust my brother to have something I would enjoy on hand."

She didn't miss the secrets behind this Salvatore's eyes, either, but his seemed to be more of an inside joke than anything. _That_ she could deal with.

Her stomach rumbled, ending whatever he would have added and his grin.

"Are you hungry? We could go, if you really don't have anything," he said genuinely. "I can't have you starving on my watch." The smile returned full force. "I could make some pasta or something. Show you how the real Italians do it."

She raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know how real Italians do it? Aren't you an American boy?" she joked. She liked this playful brother. Though she could see the resemblance in the shape of their faces, Elena didn't know if she would believe Damon and Stefan were brothers otherwise.

Stefan had short-ish coppery-brown hair that looked like it would grow pin-straight, where Damon's black locks nearly brushed his collar and wavy. Stefan's eyes were a strange shade of green—not emerald, but not grassy, either. And where Damon's blue eyes were piercing, Stefan's were soft, welcoming. He was about the same height as Damon, she noticed, but broader, with more muscle mass. Damon was lean, she knew, having more of a swimmer's body than a football star's.

"I studied in Italy for a few years," he answered companionably as he grabbed her jacket and held it out for her to slip into. His hand brushed her shoulder and Elena couldn't stifle a small shiver as electricity spread through her body.

Sliding her jacket on fully and pulling her hair from beneath it, she asked, "A few years? You can't be old enough for that. What are you? Twenty, twenty-one?"

He chuckled. "I'm actually twenty-two, if you must know. I studied abroad my junior and senior years of college. I'm fluent in Italian, as well as English, Spanish, and French."

As they moved towards the door, Elena stared up at him, shocked. "Four languages? Don't you ever get them mixed up?"

Another laugh rose from his chest. "Sometimes, yes. But they're pretty similar, so once you learn one, it's easier to learn the others. I've never had too much trouble with language to begin with, though. I've always liked the way things roll off people's tongues. That's why I majored in History with a minor in Language Arts; I get to travel the world and just listen to how people talk."

They spent the rest of their walk to and through the grocery store talking about travel and how Elena had always wanted to go to France, to see where her parents had honeymooned as well as be in the romantic capital of the world. Stefan was a very good listener and much less invasive than his brother, which immediately set Elena at ease with him. As they walked out, he insisted on carrying the bag and holding the door open for her, ever the gentleman.

As they walked down the street back towards her house, however, the sound of a crash brought them both to a standstill. "Stay here," he ordered, gingerly handing her the bag before going to investigate.

Elena worried about her new neighbors and barely kept herself from following after him. _A crowd of people will only make it worse_, she reasoned. _It would be harder for the police and ambulance to get there if people are gawking._

She tried to see where it had happened, though, and where Stefan had disappeared to. She took an uneasy step towards the street, hearing no sirens to say that help had arrived.

Everything else happened in a flash. One minute, it was dark, then there were headlights flying towards her. The only thing she could do was raised her arms to shield her face, knowing that this was quite possibly the last moments of her life. But where had the care come from?

In the next second, however, she found herself pushed up against the building, her head cushioned by steady hands and protected by the shield of a warm body. Bringing her arms down from her face, she looked up into Damon's furious expression then to her right.

An SUV was there, stopped only by the brick wall it had hit. The driver was hunched over the steering wheel, bleeding everywhere. She couldn't contain a gasp of fear before she tried to duck from Damon's hold to make sure the man was all right.

He caught her, forcing her to look at him. "You'll stay right here," he commanded, eyes holding her to the wall. She could only give a shaky nod before he set away from her, moving with inhuman grace towards the driver side.

The driver lifted his face just enough to glance up at Damon. She saw his mouth move, speaking brokenly to the man who had just walked up. Though she couldn't hear anything, she knew it was bad when all color drained from Damon's face and he locked his eyes on her.

He was at her side in an instant, hand on the small of her back.

Stefan ran up to them at that point, demanding, "What happened?" He was instantly checking her over for injuries, gentle as he touched her. But he stopped the moment Damon spoke.

"That man was compelled," he snarled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and cuddling her into him. "He's the bartender from the Grill and he was fucking _compelled_."

Stefan's face became pale and grave as well. "How do you know?"

"He said Klaus told him to tell us, 'The game's on.'"


	4. Chapter 4

_The premiere was _amazing_! Heart-wrenching and warming at the same time! Makes me reconsider being less of a Delena fan. But then I remember Damon and how much he protects Elena, even if it makes him the bad guy. And that makes me love them together even more. (:_

Chapter Four

"_Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself."_

Elena was ushered home roughly, though she barely noticed. She was lost in the daze that often befell people who had almost just died; every thought in her head turned to mush before it could really form. Even when she nearly stumbled over the sidewalk and her own feet, she didn't realize that both Salvatore brother's were at either arm, gently steadying her as both tried to decide the best way to protect her.

But she wasn't able to read their minds, so she didn't know that they were going to tear apart the town, scouring for the vampire that had compelled someone to try to kill her.

When they made it to her house, Damon snarled at Stefan to check the yard, make sure nothing was out there while he put Elena in her room. He eased her down onto the mattress, murmuring, "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Though she was still in her jeans and jacket, she crawled under the covers as he left the room, staring up at the ceiling with rapt attention. She had almost been crushed by a car. The only reason she hadn't been was because Damon had appeared out of nowhere, thrown her to safety without a thought. But where had he come from? Why hadn't she seen him from the corner of her eye or something?

Thoughts ran rampant through her head as she wondered about what the two men had said. Something about that nice bartender—Will was his name—being compelled? Who was the Klaus guy that they had kept talking about?

Those ponderings brought to mind Damon's phone call the day before. He'd talked about a human life, called some woman a witch, hadn't wanted to leave her alone at night, which didn't make sense.

Well, it kind of made sense. He could have been implying that her life, since she was human, was more important than that of an animal. She'd read in books that women were called witches when they treated people in a derogatory manner. And the man that came to her window only came at night, watching her after dark.

But she had to assume that the phone call had something to do with what Damon had said after the crash. And that meant that things were growing increasingly out of her control the longer she stayed around him and his brother, because something wasn't right and whatever secrets they might have, she needed to know. Immediately.

Her life might depend on it.

Slinking out of bed, she had to catch herself on the edge of her nightstand. Her head and legs felt too light, like there wasn't enough muscle to hold either of them up. A part of her wanted to crawl back into bed, to ignore the warning bells in her head.

She needed to know, though, what the Salvatores were hiding. She'd invited them into her home and now there was something wrong, horribly wrong. She was in danger, which made it her right to know what the _hell_ was going on. And she would take the information if she had to.

Wobbling her way to the door, she held herself up against it, leaning to stay out of sight of the men who'd met at the top of her stairs. She could probably catch something incriminating if they didn't know that she was listening, might be able to figure out their secrets.

"...come across anything in all your _studies_?" Damon was hissing, keeping his voice low as he glared at Stefan. She noticed that he had his hand clenched in a fist so tight that the heavy ring on his finger actually looked to be _bending_.

Stefan threw his brother an agitated glance as he paced the floor. He kept his head low, idly rubbing his face. "I've come across the name a handful of times." Green eyes caught blue as if to better convey the message. "And it has _never_ been a good sign. For centuries, this Klaus guy has been called a bad omen. When he shows up, whole towns go up in flames."

Centuries? No, that wasn't possible. Centuries was too long for a human to live, to wreak havoc of any sort. Was Klaus a code word for something?

"Even New York City noted when he 'dropped by'," the younger Salvatore continued, his face paling. "Their murder rates increased by seventy percent and animal attacks went through the roof. The whole time he's been following me, he hasn't hunted, at least not to my knowledge. But that doesn't mean he never has. Especially if they're talking about the same man in the older texts I've read."

Her heart beat wildly in her chest. They _were_ thinking it was the same man, even though there were centuries in between Stefan's research. They talked about drinking as if it were necessary for survival.

And hunting.

_Murder. Hunting. Drinking._

She suddenly knew exactly what they were talking about. All the pieces had fallen perfectly in place in her mind. It wasn't as if she had missed the mythology that was erupting in pop culture these days; she grudgingly admitted to reading the Twilight series with rapt fascination. And all the signs pointed to something like that. How she hadn't noticed before shocked her.

The Salvatores weren't only brothers. They were vampires.

And one of their kind was hunting her. Tonight, he'd made it abundantly clear how easy it would be for him to do that.

She covered her mouth and threw herself back against her bedroom door. If her hand weren't stopping her, warning her that they would hear, she would have shrieked in fear. But she knew she had to run, she had to get out.

Unfortunately, the two vampires currently standing in her home were blocking the only real exit. She had to get herself somewhere safe, and she had to do it without their hearing. But she didn't know what was true about the creatures of the night; could they really hear that well? Were they exceptionally fast? Could she fight them off with a cross or the Lord's Prayer?

She had to assume that everything that made them stronger than humans was true and everything that might help her was false. If she just assumed the worst, she might be able to make it out of here without getting killed.

Turning her gaze to the window, she knew it was her only option. If she could stay balanced on the roof beneath her window, she could probably reach the tree just beyond there. Luckily, she had grown up with a treehouse, so climbing down wouldn't be a problem. But would she be able to do it quietly enough that she would be able to get away without them noticing?

Taking a deep breath, Elena crept towards her salvation, pausing whenever there was a creak in the hall. _Please keep talking to each other_, she pleaded silently. _If there is one thing you ever do for me, please let it be that._

Her window was only cracked open, however. She would need to push it open slow enough that it wouldn't crash against the side of the house, but quickly enough that it wouldn't groan under the pressure. She shuffled onto the chest beside it, leaning over to force the window fully open.

_Creeeeeeeaaaaaaak!_

Cursing in her mind, she quickly crawled out onto the ledge, moving to the left just far enough that they couldn't swipe a hand out and snatch her.

"Elena!" Both men had shouted her name, and before the last syllable sounded, Stefan was leaning out eyes locking on her.

"Elena!" he repeated, reaching out to her. "You need to come back here!"

A hand clenched in Stefan's shirt collar, throwing him out of the opening. Then Damon was moving fluidly out onto the roof with her, blue gaze capturing hers as he glared at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, taking several aggressive steps towards her. Unlike her, he didn't seem to be calculating every step as if it might be his last, which only frightened her more. When he was close enough, he went to grab her shoulder, snarling, "You need to get back in the fucking house; why the hell are you out here?"

She cried out, pushing herself even farther away from him, though the tree was behind enemy lines. The only way she was going to get out of this situation now was if she fell, but even that was more welcome than becoming a chew toy. Elena Gilbert would fight these monsters every step of the way.

"D-don't touch me!" she shouted, furious that her voice had cracked. Forcing her back straighter and throwing her head back, she made her tone strong. "I figured out what all those secrets of yours are, and I'm not about to become _dinner_ for the two of you!" She took an experimental step backwards, wondering how much longer she could get away from him _without_ going over the edge.

His eyes widened at her words, though they narrowed almost immediately. "So you've been listening in, hmm? Fine, then you know." He was abruptly just inches away from her. "I guess you know that I can move faster than you could think to run away?" Damon sounded taunting, as if he wanted to play with his food.

"Damon, calm down! You're only going to scare her and there's nothing we can do to fix a broken neck if she falls!" Stefan shouted from where he leaned out of the window once again. Knowing he wouldn't come out after her too made her sigh in relief. It was easier to face the older brother, who made it a point to be an asshole, than it was the younger one.

Throwing an irritated glance over his shoulder, Damon swiped for her arm, ready to pull her back.

But she reacted with lightning fast reflexes, stumbling backwards without a thought to her footing. Unfortunately, she definitely needed to know where her feet were going, especially since, as she became weightless, she was desperate to _live_.

Clenching her eyes closed, she knew the ground was rushing to catch her, sure that she wasn't about to survive this. Why hadn't she just gone down the tree when she had the chance? Why had she thought that she was willing to die?

But the ground never hit her back.

Opening her eyes as the air rushed past her, she found herself in Damon's arms as he stomped towards the backdoor of her old house, muttering under his breath, the pounding of her heart drowning out his words. They were well inside the door when she finally realized that she should probably try to get away from the _monster_ that cradled her to his chest.

Squirming, Elena knew that there was nothing that she could do to stop him. Even though she kicked and fought as hard as she could, nothing was deterring Damon.

When he dumped her back on her bed, she moved to slide off the side of the bed, but he grabbed her leg and held her there. "Don't even think about it, human. As you've no doubt guessed, I can catch you before you even make it to the door. Or the window, as the case may be," he said mockingly, though real anger flashed in his eyes.

Survival instincts warred with the knowledge within her that he was right. Unfortunately, survival won out this time around.

Yanking back one of her legs, she slammed her foot in his face, hoping to cause enough pain for him to let go.

His head merely turned back, more annoyed than hurt.

"Damon," Stefan interjected, suddenly behind his brother and pulling him away. "We can't scare her into listening to us. She needs to know that we aren't going to hurt her in any way. Why do you think she ran out on the roof?" The younger brother—_are they even really brothers?—_turned to her then, allowing her to use the bed she scrambled off as a block between them. "Elena, we aren't going to hurt you. We're working to _protect_ you not _eat_ you."

The other brother gave him a look that almost seemed to say, "Speak for yourself," and Elena knew that she wasn't going to make it out of this situation alive.

"_You need to stop doing that."  
>"Doing what?"<br>"Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking."_

He told himself that he didn't care that she was staring at him with those big doe eyes, a fierce light behind them telling him that _she would fight_. God, was there anything sexier about a woman than skipping all that damsel in distress nonsense? She was going to fight him, even though she must have known that there was no way that she would win. Not in this lifetime.

Damon glanced at his brother, who was watching Elena out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't stop himself from growling at Stefan. First come, first served, that was the rule. And Damon had seen this woman first; he planned to have her. _When was the last time a woman made me want more than just blood from her? God, I don't think I've ever had a woman that I actually wanted to _know_. Elena Gilbert is _mine_._

"I...I want you both to leave," she said suddenly, making both pairs of eyes fly to her face. She clenched her jaw once, cleared her throat, and kept her gaze steady with Damon's. "I don't want anything to do with...vampires."

The older Salvatore raised an eyebrow at that, a smirk spreading on his face. "Well, I'll have you know that at least...fifteen percent of the people you've met here in town are vampires and there's probably three or four werewolves and a handful of witches. Not to mention the fact that there's a vampire stalking outside of your house as we speak."

She froze, her breath catching in her throat. Both brothers could hear her heart skip a beat.

Stefan swooped in, however, to calm her fear. "But he can't come in your house unless you invite him. Even if he tries to compel you, it won't work; if you've had any of the drinking water from the town, you've got enough vervain in your system that nothing he does will be able to hurt you."

Elena backed away another step. "If he _compels_ me? What the hell does that mean? And what's vervain? None of this makes any sense!" When her back hit the wall, she slid down it, hands at either side of her face. "What have I gotten myself _in to_?" she murmured to herself, as if she were blaming herself.

Damon's heart clenched at that thought. His arms dropped from their crossed position on his chest and his expression softened. "Elena...if he's hunting you, it's for a reason. The council says that the reason he's in town is that he's looking for something that he's lost. It's probably some sort of heirloom or something. What else would an Original vampire be looking for?" He looked to his brother as if for an answer, but Stefan only shook his head. Apparently, there wasn't a lot of information on the Originals.

"Then why are you both so worried? Why do you guys say that you're going to protect me if all he wants is some trinket?"

Her questions caught Damon off guard. "You mean...why are we protecting you?" He chuckled darkly, moving around to her side of the bed and crouching to look her in the eyes. "Not all vampires are as polite as us, Elena. In fact, a lot of them are just downright _rude_. Once you hand over whatever he's looking for, you're going to find yourself becoming his _dinner_. Believe me, you don't want that happening. He's probably a messy eater, since he doesn't really have to worry about getting in trouble. Ever."

She stared at him some more, trying to push herself farther into the corner of the room. Then she realized what she was doing and anger flashed in her eyes. She was on her feet in an instant, hissing, "I can't believe you are trying to get me to buy this...this...bullshit!" Swearing no doubt felt foreign on her tongue. She stabbed a finger into Damon's chest. "I won't fall for any of your jokes and I'm not going to listen to it anymore. _I'm done._ Now get out of my house"—her finger pointed towards the open window—"and _leave me alone_!"

Stefan looked taken aback, glanced at his brother. He didn't know how to handle her order. Should he listen or continue to protect her? He didn't want her to be frightened of him.

Damon had no such reservations. He returned her glare, snarling, "Are you stupid? I tell you your life is in danger and you think that I'm going to _leave_? Try again, sweetheart. You're stuck with me until this vampire is _gone_." He crowded her, even though she didn't back down. "So I hope you get used to it pretty quick or you're going to be pretty uncomfortable for awhile."

He turned away from her then, Stefan following after him. He made it abundantly clear that he wasn't about to leave; Elena was definitely stuck with him.

"_I don't need your help and I don't want it."  
>"That's incredibly stupid of you."<em>

For the next few days, Elena tried her hardest to get out from under Damon's watch. Stefan, preferring to give her the space she asked for, stayed in the Salvatore house next door, taking up guard at night. Every chance she got, however, she tried to throw Damon out, even if he gave her information she needed to know about the town, such as the werewolf population—though most locked themselves up at night, they could tear apart a human easily on the night of the full moon—the witches' council, and what vervain did to vampires.

He tried to teach her how to protect herself whenever she wasn't being "unreasonable" and loaded her arsenal with stakes, vervain grenades, along with other random weapons that could cause real problems for a vampire hit with them.

When she asked why he wasn't giving her things that would critically injure werewolves, since they were so bad, Damon shrugged and said, "Right now, we've got bigger things to worry about than a couple mangy wolves. Tomorrow, we're going to the council to get you some protection. I'm sure they know of some vampires that would gladly walk the perimeter. Gives 'em something to do."

Now, however, Elena had finally gotten away from under Damon's thumb and she was determined to have a good time in town. She'd drank her vervain-laced water, had a stake attached to her ankle, and she was ready for action. The bar—where Will was once again behind the bar, smiling at her as if he hadn't nearly killed her—was full of people, as it should be on a Friday night. Music blared and drinks were passed along.

Just Elena's kind of night.

"Hey, you're that new girl! You've been here for almost a month and I _still_ don't know your name!" a pretty blonde girl noted when Elena made her way to the bar. She ordered Elena a drink, smiling and saying, "It's really good. I'm sure you'll like it. Oh, and it's on me, so you have to drink it."

The brunette smiled. She just might be able to like this other woman.

"I'm Elena Gilbert," she said politely, holding out her hand. "If Damon weren't keeping me under such close wraps, maybe I'd be able to get out once in awhile and actually meet people!" she laughed as the other woman took her hand.

"Caroline Forbes," the blonde answered, smiling brightly, though her eyes flashed with something Elena couldn't place. "Be careful with that drink, though," she chided as Elena lifted the shot. "It can burn on the way down if you're not prepared for it."

Elena lifted an eyebrow at Caroline before taking the drink. Setting the glass down, she replied nearly inaudibly, "Not a vampire; vervain doesn't get to me."

Perfectly arched eyebrows shot up. "You're not a vampire?" Caroline asked, shock noticeable on her face. "But I don't see any bite marks. What does Damon Salvatore want with you?"

Elena chuckled, ordering another drink with a beaming smile at Will. "I actually have no idea. I guess he's just determined to help me learn about the town. In fact, the only reason I'm here is because of how many people can pile into this place at once; there's no way he'll find me." She laughed once more, throwing back her second shot.

"Don't be so sure about that."

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice in her ear. She spun around to find that Caroline already stood between Elena and the two Salvatore men, both of whom looked _pissed_. _Great. Another vampire. Why can't I get to know one person in this town that's actually_ human_? Seriously, is that too much to ask?_

"Back away, Salvatore," Caroline hissed under her breath, barely loud enough for Elena to catch. "I've got her tonight. Go find some other girl to suffocate." With that, she spun back to Elena, looping her arm through the brunette's. "Now, let's go find my friends. Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler are _tons_ of fun; I just _know_ you're gonna like them!" She led Elena through the crowd confidently, dodging bodies that would have otherwise knocked into them. "Oh, and you can thank me later for getting you away from Damon. He's kind of an asshole and isn't afraid to show it."

"Believe me, I've noticed it."

The two women laughed as they met up with Caroline's friends.

_Okay, kind of a short chapter, but I ran low on fuel towards the end. And I had to bring in Caroline! Definitely one of my favorite characters._


	5. Chapter 5

_Klaus, you're an asshole. That's all I have to say this chapter. Oh, except that _AprilViolet_'s review made me happy._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Five

"_Why must you always run from me?"  
>"Because I know you'll chase."<em>

Damon _hated_ the fact that Elena was actually spending time with those _idiots._ They were four of the most powerful people in town, though they were all much too young to do any real damage. Still, she was much too _chummy _with them much too fast. Laughing at something the Mutt has said, there was no way she could understand the pure, unadulterated jealousy rumbling throughout him. Or the danger she was putting that stupid human in.

Tyler Lockwood, the son of the mayor, was a werewolf, cursed after he was involved in an accident the year before. He was muscular and just under six-foot, spiky black hair on his head. Tanned skin was a stark contrast compared to his girlfriend's vampire-pale tone. No one was completely sure what the Lockwoods did when their son changed during the full moon, but they hadn't had problems with him killing any innocents. Once, he'd bitten an unsuspecting vampire, but that dumbass was put out of his misery pretty quickly. He was now a part of the Council, pretty much just a lap dog in Damon's mind.

Then, next to him, there was another guy. Matt Donovan, aka Mutt. Damon hated him on principle. He was a human, the golden boy of Mystic Falls. But he was armed to the teeth with stakes, vervain, and anything else that could be used against a vampire. At a young age, his father had died and, since then, both his mother and sister had run off to chase their own "dreams", if they could be called that. Ms. Donovan jumped from man to man, leaving all responsibility on her then-teenage son's shoulders. And Vicki...no one was completely sure what had happened to her. Something involving vampires, Damon was sure. Still, Matt had grown up too quickly and showed the wear and tear of that lifestyle.

Playing footsie with Tyler was a beautiful blonde, as pale as vampires were expected to be. Caroline Forbes, daughter of the sheriff and recently-turned vampire, let her blonde hair fall in natural curls around her face. Her eyes flashed with sensuality most of the time, ready to use her charms to get whatever she wanted. As a founding family daughter, she was immediately accepted into the Council, despite her "leech" status. Her mother helped to fund her blood-drinking, keeping it under control so there would be no problems within the town.

Finally, there was Damon's archenemy, at least in his mind. Bonnie Bennett, one of the most powerful witches in Mystic Falls. She _hated_ Damon more than any of the other vampires in town, though he wasn't entirely sure why. If there was ever a "disagreement" in which Damon was involved, she would end up giving him an aneurism without a thought. Her family had actually been the driving force that had changed their town from a small village in the South to a thriving city, protecting humans and supernatural beings alike. Her however-many great-grandmother had even started the Witches' Council, bringing many frightening witches into the town. She was not a creature with which one fucked.

But he was willing to take a chance on getting his ass handed to him by the four of them at this point. Elena was drinking steadily, getting pretty drunk, and he wasn't comfortable with that. Besides, if she was so afraid of he and his brother, why did she suddenly go hanging out with a vampire, werewolf, slayer, and witch? Were _they_ to be trusted then?

Caroline's eyes kept drifting towards him, as well, a small smirk coming to her face each time he caught her. Though he knew that it was impossible, he couldn't help thinking that she knew his frustration, his _jealousy_.

Pitiful. He was acting like a damned _human_.

As the night was wearing on, Elena was drinking more. And more. And more. As if there _wasn't_ a problem, something that was actually _stalking her_. In fact, she was getting enormously drunk, which, much to his chagrin, was worrying him. He didn't care that she now had four friends on her side, obviously willing to protect her. What could a bunch of _children_ do for her? None of them were much older than she was, making them weak. Incapable of protection against an _Original_.

Stefan, forever trying to escape confrontation, was currently pleading with the witches to give him access to more records so they could further study this phenomena that was the Original vampires. Though he looked young, he was stocked full of knowledge already from his pursuit to find a "cure" to vampirism.

As if. Technically, vampires were already dead. To change the vampire part of his system would mean death. Permanently. So why was he fighting so hard to return to a less-powerful human body? Nothing would change the fact that they were killers. Nothing could erase the past. He needed to figure that out and move on.

"You are aware that Stefan is much better at this whole 'brooding' thing than you are, right?"

Damon could barely control the shock that coursed through him at the voice now right next to his ear. Masking his features, he slowly turned his head to where his best frenemy stood, a long-necked bottle in his hand. Raising an eyebrow at the man, he replied stoically, "Well, _Rick_, I'm not too worried about it at this point. I just can't believe she'd trust a bunch of kids with her safety, that's all." _When she should be trusting _me, he added on in his mind.

Alaric mimicked the other man's expression. "I think you mean, 'why won't she trust me', don't you?" _Damn humans, reading my damn mind._ "Anyways, they'll be able to take care of her for the time being. Werewolf bites are lethal to vampires, so all Lockwood has to do is sink some teeth in and bye-bye problem."

Chuckling, Damon couldn't help his sneer. "Do you think we haven't thought of that? Stefan's already read about what happens when Klaus gets bitten. Usually, the werewolf ends up dead and he goes on his merry little way, whistling." Turning his attention back to the group that held the object of his obsession, he murmured, "Otherwise I'd have a pack watching over her."

Both men were grateful that they didn't catch each others' eyes at that awkward moment. Damon had never admitted to asking for help and Alaric was taken aback that he'd even suggested it.

Their talk was cut off at that moment, luckily, when Elena stood, telling her new found friends that she had to be getting home; she didn't want to get _too_ drunk. _Too late_, her vampire guardian thought to himself as he too stood to leave. There was no way that she was getting away from him so easily, that much she had to know.

Ducking through the crowd with natural vampire grace and speed, he made it to her side just as she was opening the door. Taking the weight from her, he said coldly, "Let's go," as if it were his idea to leave in the first place. When her eyes found his, narrowing suspiciously, he hissed, "Get. Your. Ass. _Moving_."

She complied, but not without a grumble that even he couldn't understand.

He ushered her towards his car and, when she didn't immediately get in, swooped her up and stuffed her into the passenger side. Elena, unable to fight him because she knew—even drunk—that she was no match for his speed, sat in silence, staring out the window. Though the drive would only be a few minutes, she was sure it would feel like eternity.

Confined in such a small place with him, she couldn't help asking him a question that had been haunting her since she'd discovered the Salvatore secret.

"Why are you doing this?"

To his surprise, her question wasn't angry or pouting. In fact, there seemed to be no force behind it, as if it had just escaped before she could stop herself. For a moment, it caught him off guard and he _didn't_ know what to say. Damon always had a witty comeback, but he knew one wouldn't work on her right now.

So, as if he hadn't spent a century and a half surrounded by women that he'd charmed, he mumbled with a flush, "Because there's something about you that's...caught me."

And it was true. Everything about her made him want to know more. She made him want things that he hadn't wanted in over a hundred years. Something had awakened inside of him once she'd moved in and he wasn't sure what to make of it. He probably could have shrugged it off if it were someone else, but Elena Gilbert...made him _human_. At least, the most he could be considered.

Was it wrong for him to want that?

"_I'm not human. And I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world. That is my secret."_

After he had put the beautiful drunkard to bed, he'd sat down in the living room, grabbing a sifter of brandy. By the time Stefan returned, the older brother was getting a good buzz going, which his brother was no doubt about to squash. So much for hoping to think about something else.

"Klaus—or Nikolaus, which is his oldest name that I can trace—is determined to get back a necklace. Something that has been passed on from generation to generation of 'Petrova doppelgangers', if rumors can be believed," Stefan said without bothering to inform his brother that he was indeed speaking to him.

Damon glanced over his shoulder at the other Salvatore. "And who is this Petrova doppelganger? Wouldn't it be in _her _hands then?" he asked coolly, glad that his usual sarcasm had come through his tone easily. "Honestly, he'd have better luck if he looked in Hungary, from the sound of that name."

"Bulgaria, actually. And I think I have something to show you." Dropping his book into Damon's lap, his finger stabbed into the face of the girl in the picture.

The woman had long brown hair, curling around her face in exquisite tendrils. Soft brown eyes stared up from the page, but there was something behind them that was almost...devious. She had a naturally tanned skin tone, even in the black and white photo, and was thin. Around her neck hung a pendant that seemed to be swimming with something. The clothes she wore was something that Damon recognized from his time as a human.

He would place the photo as being taken between 1830 and 1870. Despite all the time that had passed, however, he was sure that it was Elena in that photo. But she was definitely not a vampire or a witch or even a werewolf. What the hell was she?

"What's a doppelganger?" Damon demanded, standing in front of Stefan and placing his drink on the coffee table.

Having memorized the dictionary's explanation, Stefan recited, "Doppelganger, noun. A ghostly double or counterpart of a living person." He caught his brother's eye. "Elena is a doppelganger. She has a necklace that Klaus wants. If we get the necklace from her, we can get him to leave without hurting her, I'm sure of it."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I've been up and down this house. _That_ necklace"—he whipped the book up to shove under Stefan's nose—"is not here. If we want to get it, we're going to have to _find_ it, first." Letting the book drop to the floor, he didn't bother to pick it up as he swiftly snatched his drink back and drank it. "_You_ are the one that knows the most about this stuff so _you _are going to be the one that finds it. I'll stay here and watch over her."

Something flared in Stefan's eyes for the briefest moment, as if his features were changing into his natural vampire face. But he quickly squelched it, saying, "Yeah, I guess I can do that. Where did she come from?"

"I don't know, Stefan. She hasn't told anyone where she's from. And if you don't head out _tonight, _she's going to be in _more_ danger. So I suggest you figure it out."

Stefan was shocked, to say the least. It was very rarely that Damon didn't have a snide, witty comment to retort. This new worrying brother conveyed what was really lying within his mind.

He was honestly scared for a human girl. Damon Salvatore was _worried over a human life._

As the younger brother made his way to the door, he stopped, taking a deep breath. He didn't bother to turn around and look at Damon, who was once again reclining in his favorite chair, watching the flames twitter in the fireplace. "Why," he began softly, "is she so important to you?"

Stefan was sure that Damon mumbled something then. Something that even his vampire hearing couldn't pick up. It whispered through his mind however. The sounds that the words made together as they melded together.

He was almost positive that it was something along the lines of "my humanity".

"_Living out of a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over a silly little rock."_

Elena awoke with a pounding in her head and a dryness in her throat that she could only equate to hell. There was something pounding around downstairs, but, for once, she didn't have the energy to go and check it out. At this point, she was ready to die. So much as opening her eyes to the sunlight streaming into her room was enough to send her over the edge, hissing and shifting until she was covered from head to toe in her comforter.

Only it was ripped away before she could fall back asleep.

"Wake _up, _Sleeping Beauty! Rise and _shine_!"

Damon. That bastard. How dare he shout in her ear like that. He had better have made a big breakfast again, or else she was going to kill him. She was going to go get a cross or a stake or whatever and destroy him.

"Go 'way," she murmured, not daring to open her eyes. She yanked the blankets back over her face. "Just wanna _sleep_."

Once again, he lifted her precious barrier from the sun. "But...I made you breakfast."

How he had gotten so good at that pouting face, she would never know. _Years of practice_, she thought to herself jokingly, though it was still strange to her to think that way. Since she'd learned about vampires, she had met quite a few, but none got under her skin like Damon. She didn't know how he did it, but everything he did either annoyed her or...

She didn't like to think about that "or".

It freaked her out worse than the thought of vampires.

"Pancakes?" she asked, though it came out more as a demand. She frowned at him when his lips curled up in a grin; it was quickly becoming one of those "grating on her nerves" moments. "And bacon? What about orange juice?"

Pulling the blanket out of her grasp despite her flinch at the light streaming through the windows, Damon murmured sweetly, "I've got them. I even got some fresh fruits for you to choose from." He tossed the blanket negligently over his shoulder, taking a step away from the bed. With a smile—genuine, no tricks that she could see—he held out his hand. "I promise not to bite." _Wink_.

Elena hated the way he made her stomach knot. Just a few kind words and she became his slave? What was that?

But how was she supposed to resist the feeling coming to life within her? He was...exactly the opposite of what she had always wanted, seeing as her main priority was _human_, but she couldn't help thinking that she might be able to fall in love with the playful, boyish side of Damon.

Though it scared her to think of that, it didn't stop her from smiling in return and reaching for his hand.

In a flash, he'd scooped her up, ignoring her protests as he calmly walked down the stairs and turned towards the dining room. She was yelling at him, cursing him without hesitation, when the doorbell sounded, making her nearly dizzy with nausea.

Quickly, he set her down at the table, ordering, "Eat," before disappearing towards the front door.

As if she was going to listen to that order. Instead, she followed after him, forgetting about the pain in her head as she made her way to his side.

He'd frozen after opening the door, his body rigid and tense. He'd carefully placed himself between the visitor and any possible way for them to see inside, but now it was as if he couldn't move. He just stared at the person that Elena couldn't see, his jaw flexing violently.

Turning his head only enough for her to know he was talking to her, he said, "Go back and eat. Stay away from the windows."

She was shaking her head before she realized that he couldn't see what she was doing. "No, Damon, this is my house. I deserve to know who's here." She tried to force her way past him, shoving him this way and that, but he was steady as an oak tree. He simply wrapped his arm around her waist, trapping her against his back. Before she could argue, a voice she knew all too well drifted to her ears.

"I would really enjoy seeing my cousin, if you don't mind," purred an all-too feminine voice that dripped with honey and sweetness. Elena hated that voice, had hated being around the owner of that voice for as long as she'd known her. Honestly, if there was one thing that she would have loved to do, it would have been to run far enough away that _that voice_ couldn't find her.

"Damon," she snarled, pushing against his back with all her strength, "that's my cousin. Let me go."

"No."

The sheer emotionless tone in his voice made her pause, completely at a loss for words as to what she could say in return. The only thing she could detect from his tone was that there was no room for argument; she would do as she was told or face the consequences.

_Damn the consequences._

"Katherine," Elena said, making sure her voice was clear and brisk, "this is my neighbor, Damon Salvatore. Damon, this is my cousin, Katherine Pierce."

The man holding her so close tensed for a moment before whispering, "Elena, don't invite her in. She isn't really your cousin."

"Well, I'm a relative. That's all that matters, anyways," Katherine said. Elena knew that she would stretch to her tiptoes to see if she could catch a glimpse of Elena. "It's just easier to call me her cousin in this day and age. Otherwise people would get suspicious, you know."

Elena couldn't help the tingle that went up her spine, but it didn't stop her from pushing Damon's arm aside and stepping around him. She had to face her "cousin", even if she was starting to figure out why all of Katherine's strange habits were starting to fit together so nicely. She had to show her that she wasn't as frightened of her as she had been in past years.

"Katherine," she said with a nod though Damon's hand tightened almost painfully on her arm. "How nice of you to stop by. Won't you come in?"

She knew it was suicide. Katherine and Elena hadn't exactly been friends while they—Elena—had been growing up. In fact, Katherine had told her younger "cousin" that she hated her, that she would prefer it if she were dead many times during Elena's adolescence. They had always looked more like twins than anything—other than Katherine's curly hair and questionably wardrobe—so Elena had assumed that their looks were the cause of the strife.

Somehow, she didn't think that made sense anymore. There was something else going on.

As Katherine stepped in the door, Damon growled, keeping a firm hold on Elena. Obviously, he was trying to protect her from the threat that could now come freely in and out of the house. He must not have understood that she'd caught on to the whole vampire thing and was well on her way to thinking of a plan.

She wasn't about to let her homicidal, bloodthirsty relative leave her house alive.

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's short,but if too much happens in one chapter, it starts to run together and lose the entire plot. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Wtfuck? How can they make me wait until January 5th to find out what happens next? They will _kill_ me!_

_Shout Outs for Chapters 1-5  
><em>stroumfita, Delena-Fan-for-Life, Savannah6, thetwins90 _(they gave me inspiration for this story!), _ShaniceyBee11, XxAngry-Evil-PoptartsxX, fallenfairy4, superdoodie, ayna93, RRR222, AprilViolet, snbc  
><em>The fact that you all went out of your way to review means a lot to me! As of today, there are 42 alerts and 19 favorites! Thanks to everyone that is loyally reading this. You all hold a special place with this story whether you know it or not! (:<em>

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Six  
><em>"Thought you might be dead."<br>"Unfortunately not."_

If Damon could think of a tenser situation for two "cousins" to meet, he might have felt better about Katherine being there. In fact, he might not have worried too much about which was going to lunge at the other first. Of course, this new woman had the advantage; vampirism practically oozed from her pores. Elena wouldn't stand a chance.

At least, not without him around. And he was definitely staying around until Katherine was gone.

"Katherine, would you like some breakfast?" Elena asked pleasantly, moving with stiff-backed grace towards the dining room table. She motioned widely at the table stocked full of food. "Damon regularly cooks for an army, so there is more than enough to go around."

Aforementioned man watched from a safe distance, careful to keep himself subtly tensed for an attack on his charge. It didn't escape his notice that Katherine was definitely staying too close to her relative, matching each of the other woman's moves as any true predator would. Unfortunately for her, a bloodthirsty—no pun intended—vampire was watching over Elena and would sooner tear someone's head off their shoulders than let them hurt her.

The curly-haired brunette simply sneered. "Regular food? No thank you." Her sneer turned into a smirk. "But if you're offering your neck, I might be more inclined." A flash of the monster within spread across her features as she glanced back at Damon, taunting him. Either she was older than him or thought she was; that was the only way she would be stronger than him. He couldn't take the chance that she would attack. One stray punch from either of them and Elena could die.

And Katherine knew that Elena was in the line of fire just as well as Damon did. It was as if she knew that, at any moment, Damon would attack her. Though it wouldn't be a surprise, he still knew that he had to take her out before she could involve Elena.

Reading his mind, Katherine's true face was shown to him again, fangs shooting longer as she readied to kill. "Don't interfere," she hissed before turning on Elena. She took her cousin's arm and brought her close, fangs poised just above the jugular. "Sorry to cut the polite chit-chat so quickly, but I'm not here for pleasantries. Now, where is the doppelganger necklace?"

As his charge's eyes widened, Damon snarled, giving Katherine a taste of his own vampire face. "If you plan to leave this town alive, I suggest you let her go." When there was only a mocking smile thrown at him, he added, "We've got an entire council of witches that have named her off limits. Most of them are at least a century old and full of ancient magic. Do you want to risk them killing you?" _They wouldn't get the chance. If so much as one hair on Elena's head is hurt, I'll kill that bitch myself._

"I don't have the necklace," Elena said, cutting off Katherine's reply with strong words. "Even if I did, I have no intention of giving it to you." Her hands kept her double's from tightening on her throat, but there was no fear. Only determination.

Damon watched as the other vampire lost her cool for probably the first time in a very long time. She thrust Elena away from her and into his arms, then stormed around the room, knocking over furniture and breaking picture frames. "That's impossible! The necklace always finds the doppelganger! _Every time_! And you"—she pointed a shaky finger at Elena—"are so obviously the doppelganger that it kills me! The others before me didn't even look as similar to her as you do! This is obviously where it is supposed to end!"

As she continued her temper tantrum, Elena barely kept Damon back with her slight hold on his arm. Even though he thrust her behind him, she tried to move around him, towards this vampire that was destroying her house. "Do it and I'll break your arm," he hissed, never taking his eyes off of Katherine.

"She's scared of something," Elena replied simply, quietly. "If we figure out what, she might be able to help us."

He let her move to his side, though he kept her intentionally close. "Stay close. If she keeps this up, I'm running with you." Even though it was a possibly life-or-death situation, Damon couldn't help leaning down to whisper in her ear, lips rubbing lightly against it as he spoke.

With a shiver, she nodded, then cleared her throat. "If you tell us what you're looking for, we might be able to help you." That caught Katherine's attention, though her eyes narrowed and darkened. "But only if you're willing to help us, too. There's something that's stalking my house; he's already tried to kill me at least once. We've learned that his name is Klaus."

Katherine's lips parted and she seemed to be unable to move. Moments passed in silence before she was finally able to speak again. "Nikolaus? He's...he's here?" Her eyes widened sincerely and she glanced out the window as if she would be able to see him. "I'm trapped here," she murmured. She turned her attention back to Elena, expression changing to that of a cornered animal. "How would you help me? What could you do?"

"That's just it," Elena said. "Damon didn't lie when he said that we've got some powerful witches batting for us. If you give us information on this necklace and why it's so important, I could work out a deal with them to keep you protected as well. All you have to do is tell us everything you know about Klaus and the Originals."

In the act of running her fingers through her hair, Katherine froze. "Originals? You mean, it's not only Klaus here?" Then she started mumbling in another language to herself, the only word that Elena recognized being "Elijah".

"Not that we know of, but it's better to be safe than sorry," Damon interjected. If this Katherine was full of information that was necessary to protect Elena, he needed it. She would live until he got all he needed out of her. As she continued murmuring, he motioned to the table. "How about we sit and you tell us all about it? I mean, it's not like you can go anywhere."

Brought out of her thoughts, Katherine shot the other vampire a glare. "Watch it; you're nothing more than a baby compared to me. You're, what, one-hundred, one-hundred and fifty years old? I'm a _multiple_ of that." Still, she sat down, leaning uncomfortably against the back of the chair. "What do you want to know?"

"Klaus. The Originals."

"Being the doppelganger and the necklace."

Damon glowered at Elena, tsking mockingly, "No, we want to know about the immediate threat, not his reasons. When he's dead, we can go through all his back story so you can appease your curiosity, okay?" Turning back to Katherine, he was all business once more. "Tell us about the Originals and what kind of power they have."

Katherine smirked, leaning forward with her chin resting on her hands. Was she...flirting with him? "Actually, _Damon_, I think it's very important that my however-many-greats granddaughter know about her lineage. Family history is_ very_ important, you know." She moved her gaze to Elena, who was shocked. "Don't be so disgusted. You are not in any way part vampire. My child was born just before I was turned." A sadness Elena could hardly comprehend passed through Katherine's eyes, but she didn't say anything more about it. "Anyways," she said, waving it off, "you are a Petrova, just like I am and the first 'doppelganger', so to speak, was."

"And? Doppelganger is so important because..."

Raising her eyebrow, Katherine said, "My, my, Mr. Salvatore, aren't we just too impatient?" She rolled her eyes before catching Elena's, which held the same sentiment as Damon's. "The Petrova line is very important to the Originals. Especially Klaus. You see, we were the ones that were used in a spell many centuries ago to...give balance to nature. When the first vampires were created, they were too powerful, just like the werewolves. Though Klaus was bound by the sun, there was no possible way to kill him. His siblings could be poisoned by vervain, run through with a stake from the white ash tree, and die, but nothing worked on him." She spoke as if she were reciting a bedtime story, uninterested and bored. Her entire demeanor returned to the one she had always had whenever Elena had seen her before.

"So you're saying we can't kill him." Damon's words weren't a question, but a dark statement. Immediately, Elena knew he was planning something.

"I'm _getting_ to that part," Katherine hissed in return, as if he were ruining a movie. "Since you're so impatient, I'll just move on to the juicy part." She smiled gruesomely. "Well, one day, Klaus toyed with the wrong family. When he tore apart a Petrova daughter—a beautiful, dark-haired daughter, who had just given birth to a beautiful, dark-haired baby girl—they decided his time was up. Using the necklace she had been wearing when he'd killed her, her father begged a witch to curse Klaus.

"Of course, he was too powerful for a young witch to curse. It would barely affect him." Katherine leaned forward, excitement in her eyes. "But the Petrovas worked long and hard to find someone strong enough, and they did. They were finally avenging their beloved daughter's death.

"The necklace was cursed and tied to Klaus's life. Should a doppelganger have it, his life is literally in their hands. Think of it as his heart," she added mildly, as if it had only just occurred to her. "But Klaus found out about it. If he could get his hands on it, he would literally be invincible. Nothing would be able to kill him.

"So those of the Petrova line hide the necklace whenever the doppelganger is gone, knowing that it will return to her once she is old enough to protect it. If she keeps it away from Klaus, she could kill him without a thought. One squeeze of the hand"—Katherine showed this by squeezing a grape in her fist—"and he is dead." She flashed the destroyed grape at the pair across from her before letting it fall from her hand.

"If you are the doppelganger and you're still alive, why don't _you_ have the necklace?" Elena demanded, wondering if the woman in front of her could be telling the truth. There were so many things that didn't make a lot of sense to her; could she really trust Katherine?

The vampire's face closed off, giving away nothing. "When Klaus would have killed me to get the necklace, I got someone to turn me. Since I technically died, the Petrovas took back the necklace and hid it just before he slaughtered them all."

Elena blinked, shocked by this revelation. "You mean...he killed your entire family? Because you didn't give him the necklace?"

Katherine nodded, standing. "All but the daughter that was taken from me. Perhaps that's why I gave up trying to find her." She moved the archway that would lead her to the foyer. Her hand clenched the wood there and her eyes met Elena's, showing clearly the first emotion the younger woman had ever truly seen there. "Don't get yourself killed, Elena. If anyone should kill you, it should be me." With that, she disappeared, leaving the house without making a noise.

Had it been longing that Elena saw on her face?

Or resentment?

"_When we're alone, I'm gonna take you out."  
>"You need to stop with the witch's brew; you're starting to believe your own press."<em>

"Damon, please step aside. The Council has ask me to do something for them and I don't want you to interfere."

Elena barely stifled a laugh as she watched Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore face off. It was like something out of a cartoon. They antagonized each other relentlessly, though she doubted either would actually be able of killing one another. It was almost as if they fed off the other's criticism and pushed themselves because of it.

Swinging her wavy black hair over her shoulder, Bonnie met Elena's eyes, smiling. "This is the best protection spell we have to offer. It's a variant on the one around the town. Since the focus of this spell is so small, I should be able to make it so that no creature with harmful intent towards you is able to come in." A quick glance from the witch to the vampire told Elena that Bonnie was planning that it would keep him out as well. "Even if you invite or have invited people in, they will be taken from the house by an invisible force should they decide to hurt you."

"How long will it last?" Damon asked, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the witch weave the spell with her hands in the air. "Because we can't just keep renewing it every day; there can't be any lapse in time that she isn't protected."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "We know that. That's why they sent me; my spell will last longer and stay stronger than others. If this doesn't last three months, I'd be shocked."

"I think you're overestimating yourself again, witch. If you're so powerful, why can't you just ki—ah!" Damon clutched at his temples as if he could scrape the pain out. Quitting after just a moment, Bonnie didn't seem to notice the whimpers of pain that erupted from his mouth.

Smiling shyly, she murmured to Elena, "Sorry you had to see that. Usually, I'm much better at controlling it." There was a long pause just as Bonnie's body grew rigid, her head turning to one side as she stared out into the bushes on one side of the home. Her eyes seemed transfixed on something that neither Elena nor the recovered Damon could see.

Before Elena could ask if she was okay, the witch began tumbling strange words from her mouth, almost like someone speaking in tongues. Neither Elena nor Damon could make sense of what she was saying, but the vampire grabbed her when all noise stopped and Bonnie's eyes rolled back in her head.

"Bonnie? Bonnie, are you all right?" Elena demanded, hands on her friend's shoulders. "Say something!" she commanded as she shook the girl's petite frame.

The witch's eyes opened, but they weren't brown. Instead, a blinding light flashed from her eyes. "_The doppelganger lives,_" she said in a voice that wasn't her own. "_The doppelganger is destined to destroy the cursed one, but not without loss. A sacrifice is needed to protect the one that needs protecting._"

Damon snarled, taking Bonnie from Elena. "Loss? What _loss_?"

"_Sacrifice yourself to save the ones you love, doppelganger. Pray not for mercy, but death._" With that, the rigidity of Bonnie's body left her, making her droop in Damon's arms.

As the human and vampire brought the witch inside the house, they didn't notice the eyes in the shadows, flinching away. The eyes that knew something that the others did not. As the being turned away, it wondered if it had the power to do what the pseudo-oracle demanded.

"_They were your friends and you sold them out."  
>"Without blinking."<em>

Bonnie wasn't down for very long. Only moments after Damon had carried her inside and laid her on the couch, she was back on her feet, insisting that nothing was wrong. She had no memory of her prophesy, but she assured Elena that it was part of why she was so powerful; spirits could use her as a siphon for their words, while she could use them for power. Rarely was there a witch born with that ability, but when there was, they were considered something akin to royalty.

She left quickly, saying that the spell was working. Though she eyed Damon warily, the witch still left, leaving the two behind to focus on whatever it was that they might need to talk about. She knew the words were enough for them to talk about, but she couldn't help the doubt that bit at her. She didn't think the words had been meant for Elena, but someone else. Someone in the shadows.

Still, she never voiced her thoughts before she left.

In the house, Damon was furious. Elena was expected to give herself up to protect the ones that she loved? A snarl tore from his lips. He would never allow her to die or be taken from him. He would give up _anyone_ and _anything _to protect her.

He found Elena sitting on her bed, writing in the book that he had never seen out of her bedside table drawer. If he had guessed that it was a journal, he would have read it already. Now he would just have to wait until she fell asleep to find out what worried her, what she could possibly write about.

"Damon, don't even think about reading this," she said suddenly as he stood in her doorway. She gently put the journal away before turning back to him. The determination in her eyes infuriated him because he knew that she planned to sacrifice herself, whether he liked it or not.

She had another think coming.

Moving to her in a flash, he went on all fours above her, snarling in her face. "Don't even _think_ that I'm going to let you put yourself in the line of danger. If I have to turn you into a vampire, you'd better bet I will. If you're determined to save your family, then we'll figure something else out. But you'd better bank on the fact that you're not going to be seeing any fighting. Ever."

"You can't stop me," she said, holding his gaze. "I won't let Klaus rip apart my family like he did Katherine's. I won't let him hurt the ones that I love." She tried to shove him away, failing magnificently. "Let me up, Damon. You know that there's no other way to protect them."

"There's always another way. We just have to find it."

Her eyes narrowed and a destructively devious thought came to mind. Just because he was a vampire didn't mean he wasn't a man, right? In fact, he'd proven that quite a few times in the months that she'd known him. Did that mean he could be _tricked_ like a regular man?

Softening her gaze, she pouted her lips slightly, wetting them slowly with her tongue. Her eyes dropped down to glance at his lips, quickly coming back up to catch his line of vision. "Damon," she whispered huskily, noting that he was shocked, but not hesitant. He was lowering his face closer to hers and she knew she had him.

Slamming her knee up, she growled, "Don't try to boss me around." She watched with perverse delight as the pain spread through him and his body weight fell to one side. She rolled to her feet beside the bed, glaring down at him as he gave a small moan and tried to speak. "My life is my choice. End of story."

With that, she turned away from him, strolling downstairs to clean up the mess he'd left in the dining room. Of course, he was close behind, ignoring any lingering pain that he might have been feeling. She blocked out his argument, knowing he would just go on and on about whatever he thought was right. Anyone that had just met him would have figured that out.

"I already told you, Damon—"

"What the hell is going on?"

Damon and Elena both turned their eyes towards the front door, recognizing the voice but not understanding why the owner wasn't already inside.

Before Elena could blink, Damon was at the door, opening it, asking his brother darkly, "Maybe that's what I should be asking you." Then he explained the spell Bonnie had put over the house, watching as Stefan's face contorted first in surprise, then anger. "Brother, you had better have a damn good explanation for this," Damon hissed, flashing his canines threateningly. His body filled the doorway.

With a snarl, Stefan was gone, leaving behind a shocked Elena who could barely control the other seething Salvatore.

_It's been awhile since I updated, but I've just been so busy with family stuff. Now I have more time, so here you are! I hope you enjoy this chapter and Merry late Christmas and a Happy New Year!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I know it's been a long time since I updated, but in late January I was in an accident. I haven't been able to keep up with my steady writing since I missed school, had therapy, etc. I have much more time now, so here we go!  
>Also, it was brought to my attention that Klaus's real name is "Niklaus" not "Nikolaus". From here on, he will be the former rather than the latter.<em>

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Seven

"_Witches and their spells. So many people to sacrifice."_

_I've got to get out of here,_ Katherine thought to herself, glancing this way and that as she made her way down the street, trying to seem inconspicuous. Of course, no one here knew her, would probably just mistake her for her "cousin". But she couldn't handle the thought of what that witch said, her words crawling over her skin like a million spiders.

She'd been waiting there, just beyond the shrubs in Elena's yard, for a chance to go after her doppelganger. She hadn't thought that the girl would have a _Bennett witch_ batting on her team. And where there was one Bennett, there was another. And another. And another. They were a familial bunch, quite powerful separate. But together, they could tear the balance of the world apart with barely the batting of an eye.

This witch, though, had given off such a powerful aura that even Katherine, a centuries-old vampire who'd traveled all over the world, had been petrified. Then, to find out the girl was not only a warrior, but an oracle as well? To see a witch with more than one strong suit was unnerving; _Bonnie_ held power over the oracle, the warrior, and the casting. She was the most frightening triple-threat Katherine had ever seen.

When she'd turned those glazed over eyes to Katherine's hiding spot...shivers went up the vampire's spine. And she knew exactly what the Other Side was trying to tell her.

Katherine might have died, but she'd returned. That meant that there were two doppelgangers and they were not interchangeable. One needed to be protected, one needed to be sacrificed. Even if the witch didn't remember, even if Damon and Elena didn't figure it out, Katherine knew exactly which was which.

_I've protected my life for far too long to turn back now._

Tucking her jacket closer around her, she moved just a little bit faster as a chill raced down her spine. Someone was watching her. She knew full well the number of monsters in the town, as well as the enemies she'd acquired over the years. They could be lurking anywhere; on a darkening day like the one she was walking through, they could literally snatch her from the shadows without a backwards glance.

_"You have nowhere to run, Katerina. There is no one that will protect you from me."_

The words echoed, unwanted, in her mind as her memories flashed back to the last of her human days. He had laughed as she'd run through the forest to get away from him, unable to completely dodge the roots that swept her up. There was a cottage, she knew, and humans who lived there. They would surely help her. Wouldn't they? Could they be under the control of the Original that was threatening to kill her to unlock some silly curse?

_"Anyone that might house you will face my wrath. Would you really wish upon them what I did to your family?"_

It had happened on the first day that she'd become a true vampire. After her transition, she had fled the country, wanting to go back home to see her mama and papa. Her family would help her where her vampirism failed. They loved her, even with any shame she might have brought upon them. They would be there to comfort her, to help her go someplace safe.

Only they hadn't been there. Already Klaus had ripped them apart as part of her punishment. Throughout her life, her mother's garbled last words would haunt her, even when she felt nothing at all.

_You can't always run from the past,_ Katherine thought to herself. _But I'll keep going until my last breath._

She was so trapped in her own head that she didn't even realize that there was something...magical in the air. Nor did she notice the two witches, chanting quietly from her right, until it was far too late.

Her feet stopped moving, her chest constricted. Never had she felt such a sudden invasion of claustrophobia. She wheeled around violently, breath heaving in and out of her lungs. No. No, they couldn't do this to her. She couldn't finally be caught when she made her first mistake.

_Stay away from the doppelganger,_ she'd told herself before. _Stay as far from Elena as possible to be safe from the Originals._

"Let me go!" she shrieked, slamming against the invisible barrier with desperate strength. How could she have been so stupid? Now she would be torn apart for the slight she'd given Klaus five-hundred years before. Now she would die, with nothing to show for it. _I was going to take him with me,_ she thought as abrupt tears came to her eyes and her knees collapsed beneath her.

"Calm yourself, vampire. We don't want to harm you." The voice was old, feminine. It made Katherine's head fly up before the woman spoke another word. "You are something we need to protect our own."

_Two Bennett witches_, the vampire thought to herself as she saw Bonnie and who must have been her grandmother striding purposefully towards her. Anger rose within her at these mortals' belief that they could use her. No mortal would ever use her again. No human would ever have any control over her. Baring her fangs, she snarled, "You can't use me for anything! I'll sooner tear out your throat than be contained by the likes of _you_."

Just below the surface, Bonnie's matching fury flared, though she easily covered it. "My grandmother isn't a liar, Katherine. We know who and what you are. And what we need you for."

"I don't help humans," Katherine replied darkly as she rose to her feet. It felt like there was a weight on her back, holding her down, but she fought against it to rise shakily. "You often die too soon for anything to really matter, anyways."

"We haven't asked for your help. Yet. But I know what you've been through, Katerina Petrova," the grandmother went on saying, meeting Katherine face to face. "I know the vengeance that rages through your heart, the only thing that has really kept you going all these centuries of being a vampire."

The doppelganger said nothing, just looked on with disgust that she couldn't feel in her heart. She wanted nothing to do with these women, just wanted to get the hell outta Dodge.

Sighing, both Bennetts made the motion of tugging at Katherine, forcing her to follow them back to their house.

"We want Klaus—and all the other Originals—dead. If you don't want to help us, you'll never get your revenge."

That got Katherine's attention. Enough so, at least, that she didn't rip their throats or run out the moment they released her while standing on their porch.

"_You're not going to kill her."  
>"Watch me."<em>

Peeking into Elena's bedroom, Damon saw that she was definitely out cold. _Must be tired from having to sacrifice herself,_ he thought angrily as he tiptoed back down the stairs, careful not to wake her. Their argument had gone nowhere, as he'd known it would, and she'd finally stormed up to her room without a backwards glance.

And he was too caught up in the fact that he couldn't trust _Stefan—_the good brother—that he knew he had to go find the little bastard to get the truth out of him. Damon couldn't be left in the dark on any part of the Originals' plan if he wanted to keep Elena alive and kicking.

He quickly called in reinforcements to assure himself that she would be kept in the house. A werewolf and vampire pairing would do quite nicely, he decided, as Caroline answered the phone.

"I need you to come to Elena's house and protect her while I go take care of some business. You should be able to get inside without an invitation, since you don't mean her any harm. Bring Tyler."

He hung up before the blonde could respond, leaving his phone in the key-bowl beside the door. He couldn't leave anything to chance; even having a ringing phone on silent could cause trouble if his brother overheard it. Which he would. Damon knew Stefan's tendencies and they were towards secluded, quiet places.

So, he followed that knowledge, wondering to himself where he would find a secluded, quiet spot in a town bustling with supernatural activity. Vampires would still be in their homes, preferring the night. Werewolves would be in packs at the bars, swapping stories about tearing apart prey or something of that nature. Witches would be busy selling or seeing to spells. Where would he find the traitor?

Suddenly he knew. The park. There was a forest in the middle of town that was called the park—though it was more so werewolves would have somewhere to hunt safely—and inside the trees was a clearing that few knew about. Stefan would be there, probably with his accomplices, and be a sitting duck.

Racing there, he stopped gracefully in the center of it, calling out, "Stefan! Come out to _play_!" He would tear him apart, throw his corpse into an incinerator. There was nothing he would enjoy more at this moment, nothing that would stop him from his new found need for vengeance. It had been one thing for Stefan to force Damon to become a vampire; it was another for him to go after Elena.

Damon didn't know when she'd become so important to him, knew that it didn't matter. He would protect her throughout her life—which he hoped to make eternal at some point—and this was the first step. Get rid of Klaus, get rid of immediate threat.

"Brother, I know you're out there!" he shouted once more, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for even the smallest amount of movement in the vicinity.

"Trying to be a white knight, are you, Damon Salvatore?"

His head jerked at the voice behind him and he spun around with a hiss. Standing before him was a man in his late twenties with red-brown hair that curled slightly around his face. He was taller than Damon by only a few inches, but the way he held himself gave him an air of importance and strength. Blue-green eyes flashed wildly as a smirk curved his mouth, showing shockingly white teeth.

"Klaus," Damon said with a smirk of his own. He gave an exaggerated and rather mocking bow. "So good to finally meet you, _sir_."

"We've met before. You just don't remember. I didn't want you to remember."

Damon's head jerked up. He had _met_ Klaus the Original before? Since when? And why the hell couldn't he remember it? But he quickly covered his shock with a taunting raise of the eyebrow. "Guess I just don't remember when trash crosses my path. Comes with a long life, you know."

Klaus let out a chuckle, stepping closer to the younger vampire. "Oh, but you've been searching for me since you were turned. You've been wondering, 'Who the hell gave me vampire blood to turn me in the first place?' Your brother did at one point too." He moved in a tight circle around the blue-eyed Salvatore, scratching his chin in comical confusion. "I used to wonder to myself, 'Why would I make these two men into vampires? I have no need for followers. I'm strong enough on my own.'" With that, he grabbed Damon around the neck, lifting him easily as he fought the hold. "But I always do as my oracles tell me. They said that the Salvatores would lead me to the new doppelganger. If I could be patient, one of you would be my helper, the other my bane. Who would have guessed that the bad brother would be trying to be good for a human woman?"

He bodily slammed the other man to the ground, still choking him. "Your brother is doing his part to help me. Maybe I should make you do the same. I noticed the little spell your witch put over Elena's house long before Stefan reported back to me. It'll be an easy enough one to break, should I feel the need to." His voice darkened when he spoke again, watching with perverse pleasure as Damon's eyes began to roll to the back of his head. "Bring me back the necklace, and I'll make sure her death is quick and painless."

Still, Damon mustered up the power to spit in Klaus's face. "Never," he breathed just before the pressure on his neck increased.

"You're lucky I need you, Salvatore. Otherwise I would have torn your head from your shoulders the moment you stepped foot into this forest. Still, I feel as if I should punish you for your disobedience." Snatching up a thick branch from beside him, Klaus raised it, forcing it into Damon's chest inches away from his heart.

The vampire coughed up blood, flinching each time the branch found a new wound to create all over his torso, careful to keep from killing him.

His vision hazy, he noted that Klaus had let him go. But he couldn't move and everything was starting to fade to black as the Original walked away from him, a chuckle rising from his throat.

_Blood,_ he thought desperately. _I need blood._

"_I can take you."  
>"Wanna bet?"<br>"Yeah. I do."_

"Brother, I adore when you teach lessons. Poor creature didn't stand a chance."

Klaus's eyes cut towards Rebekah with a certain light of annoyance. "Sometimes I have to be the bad guy." He shrugged, turning back to his book. They were staying in the largest house just outside of town, using it as their own personal play-house. Passing through the barrier around the town was difficult—their Witches' Council was a strong one—but not impossible, so he made the trek daily into their city, terrorizing the doppelganger so she would not think to run from him.

"Well, you're quite good at it," Rebekah complimented, dropping into the sofa across from him with her drink in one hand. "But I am getting bored of this routine, aren't you? We should simply kill the girl; I'm sure the spell dies with her. Then we can search the house for the necklace and stop this needless worrying."

"No," he growled, slamming his book down on the table hard enough to crack the oak surface. "If she already has the necklace, I'm in danger. Any squeeze from her could potentially kill me. And who knows what other magic the necklace holds; it might kill me as I kill the doppelganger." He stood up, pacing in front of the warm fire. "No, I have to have the necklace's power stripped before I can kill Elena. There can't be any mistakes."

Rebekah sighed, leaning back in her seat. She knew that her brother wanted back up plans for everything she could possibly think of, but what power did the necklace truly hold? If there had been so many doppelgangers, why hadn't they killed him long before this?

As she opened her mouth argue this point, the large, thick front doors slammed open. Turning her head as Klaus froze, she was shocked to see their brother Elijah standing there, dusting off splinters of wood from his neatly tailored suit.

He glanced up at them with an almost bored expression, standing in their foyer as a perfect gentleman. "Niklaus," he said with a slow nod of his head. Turning to her, he added with a bow, "Rebekah. How do you fair as of late?" So surprised was she that she couldn't even form a coherent response, merely hmm-ed dispassionately. "Did Mother not teach you proper manners for a lady, Sister?"

His mocking scold was enough to snap her back to her usual self, even though Klaus did little more than stare at his brother. "I've been well, Elijah. And I must say that you look rather well after being dead for a few hundred years. I trust you are well-rested?" She made sure that her tone was mocking, though she was frightened of what Elijah's reappearance meant in their lives.

That cutting glare turned towards their brother, intelligent eyes stabbing at Klaus. "I am quite well-rested, thank you. But I wonder why our dear brother would think that I needed such." He crossed the room, pouring himself a drink slowly, drawing on the mood his appearance had set. "Luckily, a human found where I was hidden and took out the dagger to conduct an 'investigation'." He swirled his drink, watching Klaus carefully as he raised it to his lips. "But we both know that I didn't come here for pleasantries."

Their eyes held as Elijah quickly finished off his drink, setting the glass carefully on the table.

"What do you want, Elijah?" Klaus finally demanded, taking a forceful step forward. "Would you betray your only living family for some woman over hundreds of years gone?"

Elijah glanced at the ceiling, a small smirk playing on his features. "Oh, Niklaus, we both know that she is not gone. Different, yes, but she is still out there. I know you know where she is and I know you are trying to exact revenge; why else would you have stuck a dagger in my heart so long ago?" He flashed across the room, standing toe-to-toe with his younger brother. "I hope you don't beg forgiveness; it makes this all the more untidy, you know."

Klaus was across the room in a moment, keeping his distance from the other man. He had no intention of fighting his older—but slightly weaker—brother on this subject. "I won't hurt you, Elijah. You are my brother; what I did was for your safety. Until I found the doppelganger, I couldn't let you ruin things for me."

"Ah, ah, ah," Elijah said, wagging his finger as if scolding a child. "You did it for yourself. _You_ want the doppelganger. _You _are afraid for your life. I wished only for the girl; I could have protected you from the power she held over you. But you didn't want to give me that happiness, did you? Because she fell in love with me rather than being seduced by you."

"She was a slut!" Rebekah shrieked, having hated the woman they spoke of for centuries. "She played you two against each other like toys! You were supposed to stick together as true brothers! We were supposed to be a _family_! And she destroyed that! We're just lucky she didn't go after Finn and Kol as well!"

She noticed that she was shaking, but not necessarily from fear. Of course, she had always been afraid of her oldest brother's wrath, but now she was simply angry. Furious. How dare he come charging in to protect the woman that had caused all of this! He simply couldn't see the grand picture anymore! Blinded by love, he was disgusting.

Flashing over to her, Elijah said quietly, "Rebekah, you know little of the situation. I suggest you leave my sight before I am forced to remove you myself."

Blinking large blue eyes at him, she whispered, "You wouldn't hurt your own sister for such a dangerous woman's reputation, would you?" Noting the flare in his eyes, she turned away, crossing her arms over her chest as she strode with her nose in the air to the door. "Fine. Choose some harlot's side. I have no need for a brother like you when I have Nick to protect me." She left the room without another backward glance.

Leaving Klaus and Elijah in the charged air of promised violence.

"Brother, don't start something you can't possibly win," Klaus warned.

"I thought no such thing, _Brother_," Elijah said before side-stepping the younger Original's brash attack.

_I hope you liked this chapter! Again, I'm sorry for the late post_.


	8. Chapter 8

_Well, last chapter's reviews were a bit of a let down. Still, I'm not writing this for reviews. I'm writing this for people that enjoy this sort of story and because this shit has been stuck in my head for damn near a year. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Tell your friends! Just kidding...but seriously._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Chapter Eight

"_You date vampires. It shouldn't come as a shock to learn that your guardian is a murderer."_

"Where the hell is Damon?" Elena demanded, furious at her friends' insistence that they didn't know. They knew; she was sure that the vampire had called in reinforcements to watch over her while he did whatever it was he had to do. So why wouldn't they just _tell her already_?

Caroline glanced at Tyler nervously, afraid to upset the brunette any more. He gave a quick shrug, unsure of what to do himself. Turning her attention back to Elena, the bombshell said, "He just told me he had business to take care of. We didn't really have time to ask questions before he hung up."

As Elena opened her mouth, Tyler cut in, "He's probably with the Witches' Council again. He's been asking everyone in town if they've seen anything strange."

She didn't believe such a flimsy excuse. No, Damon wouldn't have disappeared without a word for that. He was probably off trying to find Stefan or, worse, Klaus. "He would have told me about that. Now that I know about it, he's not very secretive about the Council or even the vampire-werewolf-other situation. He's got to be doing something he knows I wouldn't want him to do, like going after Klaus himself. The only problem is that he doesn't realize that he _can't win_." Fear choked her just as tears would.

Caroline reached out a comforting hand, giving Elena's arm a friendly rub. "Don't worry. He'll be back soon, making your life hell. He's good at that, you know."

Shooting a quick glare at his girlfriend, Tyler added under his breath, "You don't have to bring up that little fact, Caroline." Though Elena wanted to ask him what he meant, he quickly cleared his throat, turning back to her. "Besides, Damon isn't as easy to kill as you would think. He's practically venomous and he's much more conniving than you would think."

"But Klaus is an _Original—_"

A knock sounded at the door, cutting off Elena's possible hysterics. The three in the dining room turned towards the sound, each wondering the same thing: why was someone knocking on the door? Why not just walk in? The spell worked so that anyone without ill intentions could walk into the house, invitation or not. Once it was lifted, everyone would need to be re-invited in, but that really wasn't too much of a problem for those that were actually allowed on the premises.

"Elena Gilbert? I need to speak to you. Promptly."

The voice was unfamiliar, but Elena still called out, "The door is open." The spell wouldn't let someone planning on killing her within the house, of that she was sure.

Suddenly, there was a tall man standing in the doorway of the dining room. Caroline and Tyler were up in an instant, blocking Elena from view. The blonde stepped forward with a dazzling smile, holding out one of her hands to shake the stranger's. "Hello, I'm Elena," she said convincingly.

The man barely glanced at her, giving her hand a polite but brief shake. "Elijah. And you are not the doppelganger because you look nothing like her predecessor." Then he was behind Elena's chair, gently pulling it from the table. "May I speak with you, Elena? I assure you that it is important." His accent was English, though he had more of a "sir" air to it. All that mattered was that it sounded old and proper; he had to be an Original.

Elena took a step back from him, unconsciously signaling to her friends the fear growing within her. "Anything you need to say to me can be said in front of them."

Elijah raised an eyebrow at this, the rest of his face as passive as ever. He gently took her hand, holding her eyes as he kissed the top of it. "I assure you that I have no ill intentions, Elena. Would I be able to make it past your spell if I did?" He straightened, gently taking her shoulder while keeping hold of her hand, ushering her into the living room. Glancing over his shoulder, he said calmly, "Miss Forbes, Mr. Lockwood, you may go now. I will see to Elena now."

The two looked at each other, clearly not sure what to do. Tyler stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're here to protect her; how can we be sure that she's safe with you?"

The Original chuckled, a handsome smile spreading across his features. "An infant vampire and hot-tempered teenage werewolf think they can protect the all-elusive doppelganger from an Original _better_ than an Original? You must excuse my rudeness when I say that is absolutely delusional."

Elena's friends fidgeted in discomfort, looking to the brunette for her decision.

"I need to call Damon," she said, easily avoiding ordering them away, though that was what she wanted to do. If Elijah decided to turn on them, she didn't want them to be in danger. "He's never been gone this long." Detaching herself from the Original's hold, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, quickly finding Damon's number. Pressing the Call Mobile button, she waited as the other line rang and rang.

"Do you hear that?" Tyler suddenly asked, turning his head towards the entry way. "Is that a phone vibrating?"

Elena couldn't hear it, but she could see Caroline detecting where it was, flashing there and back. She re-entered the room holding Damon's vibrating cell phone in her hand. Green eyes wide, she breathed, "He didn't take it with him."

Terrified, Elena sped towards the door, determined to go out and find him. She was cut off when Elijah appeared between her and the door. "You have to let me go; I have to find Damon," she said quickly, terror making her voice shaky. "I promise to talk with you about whatever you have to do."

Elijah shook his head at her, ever regal. "I can't allow you to do that, Elena. You see, I have very important things to talk to you about." He glanced over her shoulder to where Caroline and Tyler stood. "Please go to find this _Damon_ so I may have some time alone with the doppelganger. We have much to discuss."

There was another brief pause before the two did what he asked them, disappearing through the door when he took a step out of the way.

Turning towards Elena, Elijah said softly, "Would you like to have a seat? I don't know how much Katerina told you about being the doppelganger, but I know much more about the matter."

Moving stiffly into the living room, she sank into the couch cushions, staring at the coffee table without really seeing it. Why hadn't Damon taken his phone with him? Why hadn't he come back? She could feel it within her; he was in danger. She wanted nothing more than to go find him, bring him back to safety. How much longer would he leave her waiting for him to return?

"Elena, please pay attention. I have no intention of repeating myself." When her head snapped up, eyes locking on his, he seemed taken off-guard as an unknown emotion crossed over his features. Clearing his throat, he leaned back in his chair like a king residing in his throne. "You must know one thing about my brother Niklaus before you decide how you will go about this business: he doesn't let his enemies live. If you cross him and hesitate, he will rip out your heart without a second thought. If you are going to kill him, you must be quick and efficient."

Blinking wide eyes at him, she asked, "Why hasn't he come for me before, then? If I'm already a danger to him, wouldn't he just take me out before I knew he was there?"

He shook his head. "No, Niklaus wants the necklace. If you are dead, the Petrovas will hide it once again until a new doppelganger appears. He wants to end the cycle. Once you make it known that you have the necklace, he'll kill you and anyone close to you to take it."

She ran a hand through her hair, mumbling, "If I had the necklace, I would just give him it. But I've never gotten the necklace that Katherine—Katerina—told me about."

"No!"

Elijah's voice was so filled with horror that Elena couldn't help jumping in her seat. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Won't that be best for everyone?"

"Elena, if Klaus believes that he is invincible, he isn't going to stop killing people. Starting with your family. You're the last of the Petrova line; he kills all of you, he'll be free forever. Then, he'll move on to enslaving mankind with his personal army. No human—or being, for that matter—will ever be safe again. The necklace has to be used once and for all."

When the brunette went to open her mouth, she got a call from Caroline, quickly answering it. "Hello? Did you find him?"

_"We brought in Bonnie to locate him. She thinks he's in the park, but she says there's something else in there too. Tyler and I have tried getting in, but we think there's more wolves in there—not ones that are on our side."_

Elena was instantly on her feet. "The park? I'll be there. Give me a few minutes."

Elijah was there in a flash, holding onto her arm. "I won't allow that; werewolves are volatile creatures. If you upset one, you upset their entire pack."

She held his gaze steadily as she ended the call. "I'll take that chance for him."

The Original was silent for a moment before he dropped her arm, nodding in understanding. "I will go with you," he said easily. "Stay close to me so they can't get you."

Once she agreed, they were out the door and in her car, speeding towards the park as fast as they could. From the passenger seat, Elijah said, "If Niklaus has him, he is dead, Elena. Should we meet him, I implore you to run while I hold him off. Go to your witch friend—Bonnie—before he can capture you."

"_He's either the best thing for her or the worst."_

"Damon! Damon, where are you?" Elena cried as she, Elijah, Caroline, and Tyler searched the park for him. They'd been there for over an hour, checking every shadow for the vampire. "We have to find him," she breathed as the far off cry of an owl echoed in the night. "If he's not here, it means..." Her voice broke as she tried to think of anything other than him being caught by Klaus.

Caroline wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder, giving her a friendly squeeze. "Don't worry, Elena; we'll find him. He couldn't have gone far and Bonnie will call when she's got a for sure location."

"Ah, brother, I see you've taken up with the riff-raff as of late."

The voice jolted all but Elijah, seeming to come from all around them. They searched fearfully for its owner, who chuckled at their obvious discomfort. They had no doubt that it was the Original they were hoping to avoid, ready to rip them apart. And he'd called Elijah his _brother_?

"Niklaus," Elijah said with an inclination of his head as the other man left the shadows. "You seem to think that I will not attack you out of sheer spite, as I did just earlier this evening."

There Klaus stood, a monster hiding behind a handsome face. His rusty-brown hair was curly, though it was cropped close to his head. Dark blue eyes flashed with dark intent, as if he were a wolf circling his prey. He stood just above six-foot, muscular and confident. His voice had an English lilt, though it was less proper-Brit than Elijah's. "Ah, but now I'm expecting it brother. I won't let you take me unawares."

For the first time, Elena saw Elijah losing his control, his lips pulling back across extending fangs. "You have taken daggers to our two remaining brothers in your quest for power, yet you continue to say that it is all for the power and prestige of our family. Will you give up this charade before it completely consumes you?"

"Of course, brother," Klaus chuckled, throwing a pointed look at Elena. "Once _she_ is dead—and with her, the Petrova line—I will be more than happy to reunite our entire family."

Elijah moved before anyone could blink, grabbing Klaus by the throat. "Let us take this elsewhere," he announced before the two Originals disappeared.

"We don't have very long before Klaus comes back," Tyler said. "We need to find Damon and get the hell outta Dodge. Your house is the only place you'll be safe." Turning to Caroline, he added, "You go with her to the clearing; I'll lure the wolves away." With that, he took off into the trees, howling to do as he'd said he would.

"Come on, Elena. We've checked everywhere else. Might as well give this a go," the blonde said quickly, keeping an eye on everything around them as she walked beside the doppelganger to the clearing. She paused, stopping Elena with her arm across her chest. "I hear something. It sounds like...someone's hurt." Her voice trailed off as she sniffed the air. Hands covering her face, she cried, "Oh my God! Whatever it is, it's covered in blood!"

Elena gasped, running in no certain direction. When Caroline flew towards the corner of the clearing, the brunette followed after, hoping to whatever form of Gob might be out there that he was okay.

He was lying on his stomach, face buried in the grass. There was dried blood on his arms and one of his legs looked like it had been broken. Upon further inspection, she noted that his hair usually black hair was matted with blood as well. When the other vampire rolled him to his back, she could barely hold back a gasp. Holes riddled his chest and his neck was slashed as if to drain him of his blood. His eyes were black, his nose broken.

Falling to her knees, Elena gently brought his head into her lap, cradling it against her as she rocked back and forth. "Please don't be dead, Damon. Please..."

"Elena, you need to—" Caroline began, a warning in her voice as she tried to pull the brunette away.

Eyes that were usually blue flew open to reveal red irises, the white filled with black. Fangs shot longer in his mouth as he threw himself at Elena, mouth going to her neck to tear apart the tender flesh. She screamed, shocked at his rough behavior. Was he really hurting her? Was this the Damon that had sworn to protect her, even if it was from his own brother?

Suddenly, his weight was off her and she heard his already broken body hit a tree with heavy force. Above her stood Katherine, protective in her vampiric state. "Back off, Damon. This one isn't for eating," she said evenly, mocking the situation they were in. Damon looked like he wanted to fight back, but he was too weak. He fell back to the ground, passing out immediately. The older Petrova turned to look over her shoulder at her descendant and the blonde. "I'll carry him back. Have some blood ready once we get there."

Caroline grabbed Elena, dragging her away as she took out her cellphone to call Tyler.

Elena glanced over her shoulder to see Katherine negligently tossing Damon over her shoulder, disappearing into the darkness of the woods.

_Shorter chapter than usual, but I don't want to go too much farther with Katherine this chapter. Question: why did she save Elena?_


End file.
